Read Laurence’s post about our tips on exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. During the summer in Estes Park in a rustic cabin, Stanley’s health recovered and he decided to return each year to Estes Park. You can also come for a drink at the Whiskey Bar or meal at the Cascades Restaurant or Steamers Cafe. Parking is complimentary for all guests with existing Tour, Restaurant, and Hotel … Bohemian Babe stops by The Historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. What's the story with Room 217 and Stephen King? Located in the heart of historic downtown Lee's Summit. The memorable hedge maze in the film did not exist at the Stanley Hotel, the Timberline Lodge, or King’s fictional Overlook Hotel, but was added into Kubrick’s retelling of the story. Tours do not include access into any of the guest rooms (obviously!) We had views overlooking the front courtyard and a view looking into the distance towards the mountains. Stanley, who moved out to Colorado hoping that … The second evening at the hotel, we watched Kubrick’s, We did the regular Stanley Hotel Tour which is a 90 minute guided walking tour. [*] In 1918 Beatrice Shanley’s sister died in the hotel from the flu. We did the regular Stanley Hotel Tour which is a 90 minute guided walking tour. The man responsible for building The Stanley Hotel was Freelan Oscar Stanley. We also briefly explored the main staircase, the second floor guest hallway, and the supposedly haunted fourth floor of the hotel. So just a couple of years before your stay. Interestingly, a hedge maze (although much smaller in scale) was planted at the Stanley Hotel in 2015 because of its connection with the film. If you want to request a certain room number or get a certain type of room (e.g., on the fourth floor, away from the tour path) you should book by phone directly with the hotel. ; The Lodge at The Stanley for boutique hotel- CLOSED FOR WINTER 2020-2021.; Aspire at The Stanley offers apartment-style residences for extended stays. Interestingly, The Stanley Hotel was not the first grand hotel in little Estes Park. I would love to tour this historical hotel in Estes Park as a fan of The Shining! It's a momento medallion, one side displays the Rocky Mountain National Park Centennial logo and the other exhibits our Historic Stanley Hotel. I am not a whiskey drinker and the bartender actually made me my own drink after asking me what types of flavors I enjoy. The Stanley Hotel is best known for being the inspiration for Stephen King’s bestselling novel The Shining and the subsequent film starring Jack Nicholson as the slowly driven mad overseer. Another place to contact if the hotel doesn’t know would be the Estes Park Museum which has a large collection of local historical information. this is an amazing article on the Stanley Hotel. We were told the most haunted hotel room is 401, but rooms 217 (Elizabeth Wilson), 407, 428 (kissing cowboy), and 1302 are also said to have a fair amount of paranormal activity. We also learned about Stephen King’s stay as well as the making of The Shining film and mini-series. in 1940 (aged 91). Hi Seana, The photo was not really intended to be creepy haha, but I can see how it might be. Historic hotel’s history. Hi Gary, Glad you enjoyed the post and I hope you get a chance to visit The Stanley Hotel some day. In 1908, it would actually be Lord Dunraven who would sell F.O. The Stanley Hotel has a strong connection with Stephen King and The Shining. Said to be the most haunted spot on the Stanley Hotel’s grounds is the Concert Hall. A great place to watch the film for the first (or fourth) time! Sadly we did not have any room for dessert that evening but there were some great options on the menu. In 1895, flames from a nearby house fire burned the hotel to the ground. By 1917, it was an official municipality with water-works, a power plant and civic organizations that were all, in some way, thanks to Stanley. There… [*] The location always seemed cursed. Take a "spirited" night or history … The second issue was that because our room was right next to room 217 where Stephen King spent the night, all the hotel tours stopped about 10 feet away and we had to listen to a 5 minute tour talk near our room all afternoon, about every 30 minutes. Thanks for sharing the story of your time at The Stanley Hotel. Address: 333 Wonderview Avenue, Estes Park, Colorado 80517. Our room is not considered one of the “haunted rooms”, but it was once part of the L-shaped Presidential Suite that also included 215 and 217. Find Old World charm with the spacious rooms with flat screen TVs, complimentary wireless Internet and a morning paper to keep you abreast of the news. There were two beds in the room. The Stanley Hotel is located 5 miles (15 minute drive) east of Rocky Mountain National Park and is about 40 miles (1 hour drive) from Boulder and 70 miles (1.5 hour drive) from Denver. , and you can also email them at info@stanleyhotel.com or call them at (970) 577-4000 or 1-800-976-1377 for more information. Widely known as serving inspiration for Stephen King’s 1977 novel, The Shining, The Stanley Hotel’s legacy goes beyond a history of paranormal activity. The answer to this is a definite yes. The hotel also served as a filming location for other films and TV shows, notably the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber. They had a bit of an eerie and surreal experience being the only guests in the large resort hotel and that night King had a nightmare about his son being chased by a fire hose in the hallways of the hotel. This area of the hotel was destroyed in the explosion and the large presidential suite was separated into 3 rooms. These are our only accommodations to accept pets and only dogs are allowed. First for its historical place in the history of Estes Park and the development of the area. ), Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter where we share our latest travel news and tips. The hotel and its surrounding structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Is this true? Hi Rhonda, Thanks! Stanley. Tours can be booked in advance online or by phone (+1 970-577-4111) and the current price (as of February 2020) for the regular History Day Tour is USD $23.00 per person and it is $28 per person for the evening tours. This was before Steven KIngs story the shinning had come out. There is reported to be a vortex, often referred to as “The Vortex” near the 2nd floor stairs as well as a few other areas of the hotel, including in the service tunnel. I guess King’s genre is not my favorite. Without Stanley’s vast fortune, subsequent owners had a difficult time maintaining the large resort hotel and it passed through owners, who like Stanley never managed to make a profit. To find out more about the history, the haunting and the hotel's connection to Hollywood. Haunted history of The Stanley Hotel. The, Most visitors to the hotel do one of the offered tours. We would be the only guests. We’ll share a bit of The Stanley Hotel’s history and our experience touring, eating, and sleeping at this famous hotel. When I got back in bed noises continued, but this time from the adjoining room. Rooms can be booked by phone or online. I told him about the furniture in the hall, but when we opened the door there was none. The Stanley’s first golden age lasted through the 1910s, when Rocky Mountain National Park was established and Estes Park tourism boomed. We can highly recommend the Cascades Restaurant and Whiskey Bar, but do make dinner reservations in advance. Inside, we were taken through the lobby, music room, billiards room and MacGregor dining room. I didn’t get the chance to stay overnight, but it sounds wonderful! Hi Robert, Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. The photo of you two in the mirror sort of creeps me out. Hi John, What an eerie but memorable stay at The Stanley Hotel with your father, thank you for sharing it with us and our readers! For more information about the area, check out the Estes Park visitor website, our suggested 2 day Rocky Mountain National Park itinerary, and the official park website for the Rocky Mountain National Park. Stanley helped establish the first bank, funded the paving of roads, funded local schools, gifted vast tracts of land to the town, and helped Enos Mills on his quest to establish the Rocky Mountain National Park. Stay At the Most Historic and Luxurious Hotel in Estes Park, The Perfect Accommodations and Amenities in the Perfect Location. Best, Jessica. Parking is complimentary for all guests with existing Tour, Restaurant, and Hotel reservations. Stanley never made a profit on the hotel and operated it more as a pastime, eventually selling it in his later years. Its history is very odd, to tell you the truth, starting with how it first came under the ownership of Freelan O. Stanley, the hotel’s namesake. Tourists visiting the majestic Rocky Mountains, Lake Estes and the resort town of Estes Park in Colorado often stay overnight at the Stanley Hotel. I feel it now. [*] In 1911 a hotel employee’s daughter (Rosie) was killed when she fell into a nearby well. The second evening at the hotel, we watched Kubrick’s The Shining on the hotel TV (it plays all day) as Laurence had never seen it before! Click here to see our current giveaway and enter! This article contains only our own honest thoughts and opinions. Hope you enjoyed learning about The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and our tour through this historical hotel! Hi Jessica, My daughter lives in the Boulder area and we have been to The Stanley. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is definitely a unique property. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter. The Stanley Hotel was built by inventor Freelan Oscar (F.O.) Read Laurence’s post about our, We had views overlooking the front courtyard and a view looking into the distance towards the mountains. Hi Connie, Thanks so much for taking the time to right, we so love knowing that someone enjoyed our article or found it helpful. The day fee of $10 is payable to the Guard Gate attendee upon arrival. and children under 8 years of age are not permitted on the tours. The 100+-year-old hotel, located about five miles from the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, offers panoramic views of Lake Estes and the Rocky Mountains, and especially Long’s Peak. The home will be an enduring reminder of the evolution and development of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Our room was not ready but the reception called housekeeping and told us that it would be given priority and we would be called when it was ready. In the Concert Hall we were able to sit down for a bit and our guide told us about the lives of the Stanley family, the building of the hotel, and about the famous guests and performers (e.g., composer John Philip Sousa and magician Harry Houdini) at the hotel. Want to keep up to date with us and our latest travel tips? 2 day Rocky Mountain National Park itinerary, tips on exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, Gifts for Travelers – Travel Gifts Made in the USA. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, is on the National Register of Historic Places and has hosted numerous celebrities since opening in 1909, but it remains most famous as the hotel … The Cascades Restaurant (reservations recommended) is a full-service sit-down restaurant specializing in American food with a number of Colorado specialties. The Stanley is a shining example of how – and where – to make you look. Some of the reported paranormal activity includes mysterious figures appearing on the staircase, clothing being folded and packed away, the piano playing by itself, strange apparitions in portraits and photographs, unseen noisy children running up and down the halls, moving nightstands, and shadowy figures. We arrived in Estes Park around noon, and decided to try to check to see if our room was available early even though check in was not until 4:00pm. Note that the rooms in the main hotel and the lodge do not have air conditioning, but that the Aspire and Residences rooms do have A/C. Before our visit I had no idea about the Stanley Hotel’s history outside of its hauntings. You can read more in our Ethics Code about how we accept work.**. The legendary Stanley Hotel is famous for its charm and history; located in beautiful Estes Park, CO. We offer four different Estes Park accommodation experiences including:. If you want the chance to stay here, be sure to book this room well in advance. Years later, when I read that story about Steven King and his very similar story about, end of the season and staying there alone before it shut down and having a strange experience, a shiver went up my neck. We welcome dogs less than 50 pounds to stay with their owners in The Lodge at The Stanley. It started with a short introduction by our guide and then a short video about the hotel which focused on the interiors and history of the so-called haunted rooms. By the time Stephen King fatefully showed up, the hotel was not in its best condition and it would be the fame of the novel and subsequent film The Shining that may have saved the hotel from the wrecking ball. In 1980, Stanley Kubrick would direct the film version of King’s novel, choosing to film the vast majority of the movie on a film set, and using the Timberline Lodge in Oregon for a few of the exterior shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel. The Stanley was a model mountain resort of a kind that had previously existed primarily in the Colorado Springs area, complete with a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, lawn and indoor bowling, croquet, and billiards. Together, they resolved to build a beautiful grand hotel – and when the Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, the first guests who pulled up in stylish Stanley-designed steam cars were astonished at what they saw. All tours begin on the ground floor area (a floor below the reception) and here you’ll find the Tour desk, a few museum display cases, and a video waiting area. Thank you so much for the amazing post on the Stanley Hotel…I really enjoyed a lot. The Stanley Hotel is famous for a few reasons. They can also provide information if you are interested in holding a wedding or event here. I was a student in Ohio and my friend was between semesters in CT. Well as you might guess it was a time share pitch. It was opened in 1909. The licence for the pub was transferred from the School Rooms in Macclesfield Forest in 1906, and for many years The Stanley Arms was both a working farm and public house. For best prices, check the hotel website for discounts and you can also check and compare prices here on Booking.com. Our room was  spacious with historical charm, a comfortable King size bed, wardrobe, large desk, a Jacuzzi bathtub, large bathroom, flat screen television, and free wi-fi connection. Room 401. Yes, if you go on one of the Stanley Hotel tours, especially the night tours, they will talk about potential hauntings and ghosts. I was working one afternoon in the room and this was very annoying. The Stanley Hotel has a storied history that begins well before Stephen King stepped foot on the property, and the hotel once hosted guests like Molly Brown, John Philip Sousa, and Theodore Roosevelt. The main tours currently offered are the historical Stanley Hotel Tour which is offered during the day as well as special after dark evening tours. You can also get crafted coffee and gourmet food, snacks, and gifts at Colorado Cherry Co. The park was founded in 1915 and Estes Park was incorporated in 1917. So I told him about people moving furniture around last night and making noise, and he looked at me funny and said what are you talking about. We inquired how much it would be to stay there and they said it would be for only the one night since they were closing the next day. Please bring a confirmation email or booking reference number to provide to the attendee. © Copyright 2013 - 2020, The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado: History, Hauntings, & Whiskey, The Stanley Hotel is best known for being the inspiration for Stephen King’s bestselling novel, Basic Information about The Stanley Hotel, For best prices, check the hotel website for discounts and you can also check and compare prices, There are several food and drink options. 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