Stanley Hotel is located in Estes Park, Colorado and better known as Overlook Hotel from Stephen King’s movie The Shining. The King’s stayed the night in room 217 back in 1974, where King came up with the idea for the movie. In the movie, Jack Torrance then entered 237, in search of what his son claimed to have confronted. He instead encountered a young naked woman in the bathroom, having a bath who came out and kissed him. That woman then became a rather ugly, rotting old woman who chased Jack out, cackling at his infidelity. Unfortunately Room 237 doesn’t exist at the Stanley Hotel and Room 217 is the most asked for room.
That eerie association aside, many other ghost sightings and mysterious piano music have been connected to the hotel. There are hotel guests and staff accounts of hearing disembodied voices, being touched by something or someone they can’t see, and all manner of other strange and unexplainable occurrences. Room 217 is said to inhabit the spirit of Elizabeth Wilson, the head chambermaid who worked there until 1950. Reports claim that she’s typically more helpful than scary. Guests have shared stories of waking up to a room that was tidier than the night before with their clothes folded and suitcases organized.
One couple told a staff member at the Stanley that their bed was made around them during the night with them still inside. But take note, if you’re considering staying in this famous hotel and aren’t married, you may not have the most restful night if you choose to stay in Room 217. Unmarried couples have reported a chilly presence settling into bed with them as they’ve slept.
Some hotel tour guides believe a ghost of a child with autism wanders the property and plays with guests’ hair. And guests on the fourth floor of the Stanley have shared stories of hearing children’s laughter in the hall with no one to be found.
Stanley died in 1940 at the age of 91, but folks believe that his presence can still be seen and felt at the hotel, mainly at the bar and in the billiard room.
There’s also an on-site pet cemetery, where some of the owner’s animals have been laid to rest over the years. Cassie, a friendly golden retriever, is said to still deliver newspapers and scratch at the doors to be let in from outside despite being buried at the grounds.
The ghost of a pastry chef is said to haunt the caves under the hotel, as evidenced by the alluring and inexplicable scent of baked goods that are frequently reported there. Staff used the underground pathways to travel between rooms and the hotel’s bar, restaurant, and laundry facilities.
Room 401 is the creepiest room in the hotel, and is thought to be haunted by an unfriendly male ghost by some accounts. Women have claimed that they were inappropriately touched by an unknown presence while standing in the room’s closet.
Down the hall in Room 407, multiple guests have reported the odd experience of being tucked into bed by some invisible force, and others have felt someone sit on the foot of the bed only to find nothing but an indentation on the covers when they switched on the light.
In Room 428, some have seen the vision of a cowboy looming over the bed as they slept, or standing in the corner. There aren’t any rooms above this room, yet over the years there have been multiple reports of strange sounds like furniture being moved and footsteps emanating from the ceiling.
Even without its paranormal reputation, the Stanley Hotel is a beautiful, fascinating place to visit. But with the potential to experience a haunting firsthand, guests from the world over travel here in hopes of witnessing something profound and unexplainable.