The Stanley Hotel-Estes Park, CO

In honor of Halloween, I will revisit The Stanley Hotel. Situated a stone’s throw away from Rocky Mountain National Park, the surrounding scenery could steal the show from a lesser property. The Stanley Hotel however, can hold its own. Fortunately you can stay there and visit the park, so you are not forced to choose one over the other. That would be torturous. 

Today’s hotel can trace its roots back to Freelan Oscar Stanley, he of the legendary Steamer. The car of course, not the carpet cleaning company. Stanley owned several successful business ventures with his twin brother, including the Stanley Dry Plate Company and the Stanley Motor Carriage Company. Additionally, he made concert quality violins. These undertakings made him a lot of money, but unfortunately his health was poor.

Stanley had contracted tuberculosis early in his life, but was able to keep the symptoms at bay while he built his small empire. This changed in 1903, and he was forced to seek the accepted cure of the day, sunshine and dry mountain air. Like many others, he set off for Denver to recuperate. By summer, he was ready for a change of scenery, and headed over to Estes Park, where his health improved dramatically.

At once Stanley was taken by the beauty of the area, but was discouraged by Estes Park’s rustic nature. He dreamed of combining the social scene of the East, with the beauty of the West. He envisioned a resort town, with a grand hotel at its heart.

In 1907 construction began on the 48 room Colonial Revival which would house guests in style, while offering unrivaled views of the Rocky Mountains. Though popular in Stanley’s native New England, the Colonial Revival style was very rare in the West, adding to the uniqueness of the property. Completed in 1909, the hotel incorporated the latest technological advances of the day, including hydraulic elevators, in room telephones, and dual electric and gas lighting. What it did not boast was heating, so it closed each year for the winter.

The hotel was very much built to accommodate the social norms of the time. A large writing room was provided for the women, while men enjoyed a smoking lounge and billiard room. A concert hall was built adjacent to the hotel, with a bowling alley in the basement.

So how does this hotel figure into Halloween? The fact that it did not have heat until 1983. In 1974, Stephen King found himself the last guest in the hotel before it closed for the season. He dined along with his wife in an otherwise empty dining room, before retiring to room 217 for the night. Deeply affected by his surroundings, that night he dreamed of the hotel’s empty hallways, which to King had an ominous, menacing air. The Shining was born, and the hotel at once transformed into the novel’s Overlook Hotel.

So aside from the King connection, is the hotel actually haunted? Some claim a gas explosion in 1911 either injured or killed a maid in room 217. Lore has it she returns and folds your clothes, which is decidedly not scary, unless she does so with a hatchet in hand. However, they offer a very popular ghost tour, so you can go search for paranormal activity yourself.

This was one of the few occasions where my schedule did not allow for an overnight stay, so I have no pictures of what I am sure are charming rooms. I did however have a leisurely lunch on the terrace and it was wonderful. The burrata has grown to mythical proportions in my mind, and alone would warrant a return trip. While Estes Park itself was crowded and a bit touristy, the hotel retains the charm of an earlier era. Additionally, its proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park cannot be beat, and would be reason enough to warrant a stay.