The Stanley Hotel
The hotel that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining may inspire a ghost story in you on your visit
Ghost Stories at
The Stanley Hotel
- F.O. Stanley’s apparition is sometimes seen on the first floor
- Ghostly piano music can be heard from the ballroom
- Lively conversation is heard from the bar when it is empty
- Room 407 is known for a shadowy apparition and unexplained light activity
- Room 418 is purportedly haunted by ghostly children
- Guests in Room 401 report being touched by unseen forces
- Shadowy figures can be spotted in hotel hallways
- A cowboy’s apparition supposedly manifests in Room 428
- Doors in Room 401 will purportedly open and close by themselves
- Phantom footsteps are heard throughout the hotel
- Room 217 is purportedly haunted by a ghostly maid who moves objects
- Apparitions are said to appear on the hotel stairs
The Stanley Hotel’s Haunting History
When you ask someone to name America’s most haunted hotel, plenty of people will say the same thing: the one from The Shining. Also known as The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
The hotel has developed a powerful reputation over the years as a lodge where the dead come to life and mingle amongst the living.
The historic hotel, its exterior as stark white as the snow caps on Colorado mountains, has welcomed tourists to the region for over a century, including many famous names. But The Stanley is perhaps best known for its visit from Stephen King.
King immortalized his experiences at the hotel in his book, The Shining. But you don’t have to be a novelist to find your own ghost story at The Stanley Hotel.
Timeline of The Stanley Hotel's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see The Stanley Hotel through the years
1903
The Stanley Hotel would not exist without tuberculosis. While the mountainous region of Colorado had seen interest from wealthy sportsmen in the late 1800s, the Estes Park area did not truly develop until the arrival of F.O. Stanley in 1903. Stanley, who made a fortune in photography plates and steam automobiles, sought reprieve from a tuberculosis infection in the crisp mountain air.
The Colorado environment did wonders for his disease, and Stanley started summering in the area.
1909
A few years after his first visit, Stanley started work on a new hotel in Estes Park. He hoped to bring many of the luxuries and comforts he knew on the East Coast out to the Colorado mountains. His passion project was completed in 1909, called The Stanley Hotel. The expansive resort was like nothing else in the area at the time.
It was the first fully electrified hotel in the state and included en suite bathrooms and phones in each room. Additionally, a fleet of Stanley Steamer automobiles were available for guests to use.
1926
F.O. Stanley’s hotel not only furnished his need for East Coast luxury in the heart of Colorado, it also turned Estes Park into a tourist destination. Throngs of visitors came from the coasts to experience The Stanley Hotel’s splendor and the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Stanley maintained ownership of his namesake hotel until 1926, when he sold it to a group of investors.
The investors could not manage the hotel, however. Three years later, it was totally bankrupt. Stanley bought the hotel back from them, selling it again in 1930.
1974
After F.O. Stanley sold the hotel for the second time, owners came and went through the following decades. By the 1970s, much of The Stanley Hotel’s beauty had been lost under the patina of age and neglect. But, in 1974, the old Colorado inn would have a brush with horror history.
That year, Stephen King lodged in the hotel, shortly before The Stanley closed for the season. King’s experiences in his room, 217, inspired the novelist to pen a new story, The Shining.
2025
Stephen King’s experiences at The Stanley Hotel, and the popularity of The Shining, helped power a resurgence of interest in the hotel. Today, that interest remains palpable. The Stanley’s historic beauty is well-restored and maintained as it greets countless crowds of new tourists each year.
Many now visit the hotel in hopes of encountering the same eerie, unexplained activity Stephen King did on his stay. (King’s old room books out well in advance, so book early!). But stories suggest there’s more than one haunted room in The Stanley Hotel.
Is The Stanley Hotel Haunted?
Guests at Estes Park, Colorado’s haunted hotel may have a paranormal encounter before they’re even able to check in. The hotel lobby, along with much of the first floor, is said to be one of the hotel’s haunted hotspots.
Most often, visitors report encounters with the spirit of F.O. Stanley on the first floor.
Stanley’s well-dressed apparition can be seen lingering through the lobby. His shadowy figure is also commonly seen in the billiard room, which was said to be one of his favorite hotel spaces during his life. Staff also purportedly spot him wandering through the hotel bar, watching him disappear as he nears the kitchen.
Stanley may not be alone in haunting the bar area either. Many guests and workers claim to hear the sounds of overlapping conversation coming from the bar, only to poke their heads in and find no one there.
Stanley Spirits Haunt The Hotel
F.O. Stanley is said to not be the only Stanley family member haunting his old hotel. Stanley’s wife, Flora, is also thought to be a resident ghost around The Stanley Hotel. While her husband is known for appearing as an apparition, few people claim to see Flora. Instead, guests will hear her spirit.
Flora’s ghost is reportedly a big fan of the hotel’s ballroom, where a large piano is kept. Guests will frequently hear the sound of soft piano music being played in the ballroom. But, when they go to see who is playing, they find the ballroom completely empty.
The Stanley Hotel’s Most Haunted Rooms
The Phantoms in Room 401
While The Stanley Hotel’s first floor spaces have their share of ghost stories, most paranormal enthusiasts visit the hotel hoping to lodge in a haunted guest room. Lucky for them, The Stanley is said to have several to choose from, with many being on the hotel’s fourth floor.
In Room 401, guests’ stories suggest there is a somewhat unfriendly male entity lingering there. Some guests claim to be touched by unseen hands while staying in 401, while others say doors in the room will open and close by themselves.
Shadowy Figures Haunted Room 407
Room 407 is another fourth floor hotspot. A man’s dark, shadowy figure is regularly reported in 407, most often seen standing in the corner in the middle of the night.
Little is known about this mysterious entity, but some visitors claim it is the ghost of Lord Dunraven, an owner of the Stanley Hotel’s land in the 1870s and 80s. Along with the shadow man’s manifestation, guests in Room 407 also say lights will flip on and shut off with no explanation.
Meet Ghostly Children in Room 418
In Room 418, guests may have run-ins with spectral children. Guests in 418 often claim to hear the sound of children playing and laughing right outside their room. Whenever they step out and check the hall, they find no one there.
Additionally, the ghostly children purportedly frolic and play in Room 418. Guests will experience bed covers being yanked off in the middle of the night. Similarly, housekeepers report making the bed in Room 418, only to return shortly after and find it all messed up again. Perhaps a little prank played by The Stanley Hotel’s ghost children?
The Hotel’s Cowboy Ghost
One more fourth floor room is purportedly haunted by a ghostly cowboy.
Room 428 has become synonymous with this strange and unidentified ghost. Guests will sometimes report waking up in the middle of the night to see a dark figure in a wide cowboy hat looming over the bed. Interestingly, visitors who stay in Room 428 also report sounds of footsteps and heavy furniture moving on the floor above them, even though 428 is on the hotel’s top floor.
See Ghosts in This Hotel’s Halls
While The Stanley Hotel’s fourth floor has no shortage of famously haunted rooms, some people say the hauntings often spill out into the hallways.
The ghostly children of Room 418 are often heard giggling and running up and down the halls.
The fourth floor is also claimed to be a hotbed for heavy, slow-walking footsteps. Some guests even spot shadowy figures walking up and down the halls on The Stanley Hotel’s top floor.
Similar figures are reported on the hotel’s staircase. In one instance, a guest captured a photo purportedly showing one of these dark figures manifesting on the stairs.
The King of Haunted Rooms
As many ghosts may haunt The Stanley Hotel’s fourth floor, the most famously haunted room is on the second floor. Room 217, the room where Stephen King stayed during his famous 1974 visit, is purportedly the most haunted room in the building.
During his stay, King reported strange and vivid dreams, and he’s not the only famous name to have an encounter there. In the 1990s, Jim Carrey also lodged in Room 217. Popular stories say Carrey left after only a few hours, and never spoke about what happened in the famously haunted room. But what do other guests say?
The Specter of Elizabeth Wilson
Room 217’s haunts purportedly stem from one person: Elizabeth Wilson. Wilson was a maid at the hotel in its first few years of operation. Her most eventful day came in 1911, when a gas leak around Room 217 went unnoticed. While Wilson tended to the room one day, she lit a candle, sparking a gas explosion. Wilson was thrown from the destroyed room, but wasn’t killed. She broke both her ankles, but recovered and continued working for The Stanley Hotel.
But, her story doesn’t end there.
Does Elizabeth Haunt Room 217?
When she died years later, guests in Room 217 started reporting encounters with her spirit. One of the most common reports in Room 217 today is that Wilson’s ghost will move luggage around the room while guests are out.
She is also said to dislike unmarried couples staying in the room. If the unwed couples share the same bed, they will sometimes feel a cold, supernatural force pushing them apart. This is thought to be Elizabeth Wilson, making her moral preferences known.
The Paranormally Popular
Stanley Hotel
Today, there are plenty of reasons to visit The Stanley Hotel. Its historic charm and modern amenities make it the ideal getaway for anyone looking for a scenic mountain destination. In many ways, The Stanley Hotel is still the unforgettably luxurious resort it was when F.O. Stanley first opened its doors in 1909.
While the enterprising Mr. Stanley probably never imagined his stately hotel gaining a paranormal reputation, one has to wonder if his spirit appreciates the business that ghost stories have drummed up for the hotel.
Hotel management does well to promote their ghost stories and invite guests to explore their spooky lore. The Stanley offers several ‘spirited’ booking packages on their website, specifically promoting Room 217, as well as the fourth floor hotspot rooms, to paranormal enthusiasts. The purportedly haunted rooms remain some of the most in-demand bookings at The Stanley today.
There seems to be no shortage of haunted happenings at The Stanley Hotel, from the lobby to the attic guest rooms. So if you’re looking for a stay that’s equal parts spooky and splendid, there are few better options than Estes Park’s historic hotel. Maybe, if you’re anything like Stephen King, The Stanley Hotel may prove to be so terrifying that it’s actually inspiring.
