Would you like to stay the night at the haunted hotel that started it all? Welcome to the Stanley Hotel, also known as The Shining Hotel. Here is your chance to walk in Stephen King’s footsteps. You can even sleep in the same room that lead to the creation of The Shining. How cool is that?! Or should I say, how creepy is that?!

About Stephen King’s The Shining Hotel

In 1974, Steven King was inspired to write The Shining while on vacation in Colorado. To their surprise, King and his wife, were the only customers at the Stanley Hotel that night. While sleeping in room number 217, Steven King had a dream, that his young son was being chased by a firehose down the halls of the hotel. He woke up from the nightmare and “The Shining” was created.

After staying the night at this hotel, I can see why Stephen King was inspired to create such a twisted and creepy story. Based on my own personal experience, I can say this hotel is 100% haunted. I will tell you more about it later on in this blog post.

Inside the Stephen King’s The Shining Hotel

This Colonial Revival-style hotel is located deep within the Rocky Mountain National Park. Once you enter the doors of the Stanley Hotel, it is like stepping back in time. You are greeted by a beautiful wooden staircase, with a gorgeous red rug that screams the early 1900s. This hotel features 140 rooms, a ballroom, a restaurant, a billiard, and an underground cave.

Rooms

Our room was on the 2nd floor, close to the famous room 217. I will talk more about that room later. You will notice this hotel has done a fabulous job of maintaining these historic rooms. We loved that the rooms have not been updated, because we came to see and experience the historic charm. Side note, the beds were incredibly comfortable. However, I did not get any sleep that night. I kept all the lights on, due to my experience on the 4th floor earlier that day. I think I slept a total of two hours that night. Let me know if you were able to get any sleep in the comments below.

Room 217

This is the most famous room of them all. This is the room that Steven King was in, the night he had the nightmare that lead to the creation of The Shining. Anyone can book this room and I suggest you book this room six months to a year in advance. This room is said to be haunted by the chief chambermaid, Elizabeth Wilson. Her candle caused a huge explosion in the room, which she survived. I’m not 100% sure if she is the one haunting this room, but if you book this room, let me know what you think. People stay here because of Steven King, not because of the hauntings.

4th Floor

The fourth floor is the most haunted floor in the hotel. Guests have reported hearing strange noises, footsteps, children laughing, voices, and many other supernatural occurrences.

Room 418

Room 418 is said to be the most haunted room in the hotel. This is where guests have reported hearing children laughing and giggling. Even Stephen King himself had an experience with a spirit in this exact room. One cold dark night, he heard a little boy calling out for his nanny.

Room 407

Room 407 is where you will find a friendly ghost and if you are lucky, she will tuck you in at night. Also, this spirit is known to turn the lights on and off. You can find several videos on YouTube if you are interested.

Room 428

This is where the cowboy stays. There are no reported cowboy deaths, but people have reported seeing a cowboy in the room.

Room 401

This is one of the creepiest rooms. This is where Lord Dunraven stays.

Now I get to tell you about my personal experience and what happened outside of room 418. As we were walking down the 4th-floor hallway, we were laughing and giggling, when a cold breeze swept right by me. All of a sudden, I felt a man behind me, breathing down my back. I turned around and no one was there. A few minutes before that, my young daughter kept saying that someone was trying to grab her hand, which I shrugged off, until my experience. I officially NEVER want to return to the 4th floor ever again…NEVER!

Later on that evening, I told the hotel employees about my experience and they instantly knew who it was… Lord Dunraven. The hotel employees informed me that he loves blondes and he tries to hold little girls’ hands. Also, he is known to roam the 4th-floor hallway…when the ladies are present. Freaky! That is the reason why I slept with the room light on all night. This picture was taken about three minutes before I felt him behind me.

Ghost Tours at Stephen King’s The Shining Hotel

The Stanley Hotel is considered the most haunted hotel in the United States. After dark, you can go on an hour-long walking ghost tour. Hotel guests and non-guests can participate. I went on this tour by myself, since the tour is not intended for children under the age of eight. This tour never takes you into the guests’ rooms or hallways. During the tour, you will stay downstairs and outside. You are told about the different ghost sightings and shown ghost pictures that have been captured. The tour guide will ask you to take as many pictures as possible. In one part of the hotel, you will be taken into a room where you will meet “Lucy”. Everyone is given candy, which will be knocked out of your hand by none other than Lucy herself. It’s a freaky experience. I personally do not think it’s Lucy, based on my own psychic abilities. I believe it is a young woman in a long white gown.

Night tours are limited to ten people due to COVID-19 guidelines. Buy your tickets in advance because they sell out fast.

Here is a picture I took. Kind of looks like three people are standing and staring at us. What do you think? Do you see anything differently? Please share your thoughts.

The Shining Movie

“Here’s Johnny” is the famous line from the movie featuring Jack Nicholson. I can say, as a child it was one of the scariest movies I had ever seen. If you loved the movie and book as much as I did, this is your chance to see props from the actual movie.

The Hedge Maze from the Movie -Stephen King’s The Shining Hotel

The hedges were planted after the movie because so many people were disappointed that the hotel did not have an actual hedge maze like in the movie. The hedge maze is small because, unlike the movie, the hotel does not have a large piece of land to hold something larger. However, this maze still has a creepy vibe to it especially when it’s snowing outside.

Restaurants

People from all over Colorado come to eat at the Cascades which is inside the Stanley Hotel. The food is pricey but based on the reviews it is totally worth it. Unfortunately, I was unable to try the restaurant because I was exhausted after my tour. I forgot to cancel our reservation and I was charged a $50 no-show fee. The worst part about it is that the restaurant was empty that night, yet I was still charged the $50. Non-guests are allowed to dine at the restaurant.

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