The Stanley Hotel: The Most Haunted Hotel in America

Few hotels are as well known for their paranormal activity, as the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.  Cited as the inspiration for Stephen King’s “The Shining,” there seems to be some truth to these ghost stories we all hear about.

The first, and most frequently experienced, is the haunting of room 217.  

On June 25, 1911, a thunderstorm knocked out the power to the hotel.  All the guests were gathered into the lobby while staff lit the backup acetylene gas lamps.  Chambermaid, Elizabeth Wilson, entered room 217 with a lit candle. An instant explosion sent Wilson crashing into the MacGregor Dining room, directly below room 217. 

Wilson survived the explosion, suffering only 2 broken ankles.  She continued working at the Stanley Hotel until she died in the 1950’s.  It was at this time, that guests started noticing things out of place.  They would drop off their luggage only to return and find it already unpacked, or they would wake in the morning to find their clothes folded and put away.  Shoes are lined up neatly at the end of the bed. 

Unmarried couples have reported a being climbing into bed with them, and forcing them apart, and shadows have also been reported passing through the walls, as room 217 was once part of a much larger suite until the mid-2000’s (when it was divided into 217 and 215).

In 1973, Stephen King, the novelist, checked in for a one-night stay with his wife, Tabitha.  The hotel was set to close for the winter the following day, leaving them the only guests in a 70,000 sq ft hotel. They were given room 217, and as he slept that night, he had a dream of his 3 year old son running through the corridors, looking back over his shoulder and screaming.  He was being chased by a fire-hose.  He woke up, smoked a cigarette, and had the plan for his book, “The Shining.”

On April 18, 2016, CNN shared an instagram post by Henry Yau.  He had taken a photo of the main staircase, only to find what appeared to be 2 apparitions at the top of the stairs.  The figures have been described as a woman and child  in old fashioned clothing.

The hotel was originally built in 1909 by F.O. Stanley.  He purchased the land from Windham Wyndham-Quin, the 4th Earl of Dunraven. Although the Stanley’s have long since passed away, many still believe they never left the hotel.  Mr. Stanley has been reported as hovering behind employees at the reception desk, while Mrs. Stanley can still be heard playing the piano in the hotel’s music room.  Guests have also reported hearing a ghostly “Get out!”

Room 302 has a male ghost inhabitant.  He is often seen walking near the walls.  Photos have been known to fly off the walls, and Grant, from Ghost Hunters, witnessed a table levitate in this room, while he was changing film.

The 4th Earl of Dunraven, can occasionally be seen in room 407, standing in the corner.  The smell of smoke tobacco lingers in the air.  Women have reported the sensation of having their hair played with and an arm around their shoulder or waist, or a hand moving up the back of their leg when placing or retrieving items from the closet.  Men have stated that room 407 doesn’t feel particularly welcome to them, as they feel as though someone is pressing them into bed, or their jewelry has disappeared.

Jason, of the Ghost Hunters television show stayed in this room.  While he was asleep, his drinking glass imploded, and the closet door opened and closed on its own.

Guests have also reported being “tucked in” in room 407.  A little boy told his mother he kept kicking his covers off, and they kept coming back up throughout the night.  His mother was shocked as she had not woken during the night, and did not cover him.  Another guest reported feeling someone sitting at the foot of the bed, and when she woke, nothing was there, aside from an indentation as though someone had just gotten up.

Children haunt room 418.  Sounds of laughter and scampering of children’s feet can be heard in the room and throughout the hotel’s hallways.  Covers are sometimes removed during the night, and hangers move on their own.  Bathroom lights also turn on and off on their own.  A little girl and her mother stayed in this room, and the next morning, the little girl told her mother that a little boy had been tickling her during the night.  She wasn’t afraid though, she simply told the little boy to stop, and he did!

There have also been reports of indentations in the bed, as though someone had been lying in it, despite no one having been in the room.  Hotel staff have reported sightings as well as feelings of “One of them hugging my leg.”

A ghostly cowboy spends his evenings in room 428.  A couple woke to find a Wild West cowboy pacing at the end of their bed.  After watching him for a few moments, they asked him to leave.  He left, but only after leaning over the lady is if to kiss her.  Many female guests have reported waking up to find him leaning in for a kiss on the forehead.

A ghost named Lucy wanders the Concert Hall, tampering with lights and lifting spirits.  She is known to actively communicate and answer questions from staff and parapsychologists via flashlights.  She can sometimes be heard humming distant melodies.  She is believed to have died by freezing to death in the basement of the concert hall.  Lucy was a 12-13 year old runaway, who was hiding out at the Stanley Hotel.

All this and more, are the reasons why my daughter and I plan to take a trip to the Stanley and see who decides to pay us a visit.  The only question that remains, is which room do we stay in?

Next: Check out the most haunted place in India.