The Hotel That Inspired 'The Shining' Has a Haunted History, Its Own Distillery, and a Secret Lounge-Here's What It's Like to Stay

"Perched above the mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado, The Stanley Hotel is one of the most storied hotels in the West. It was here, in Room 217, that Stephen King dreamed up "The Shining" during a solitary, snowbound stay. The writer and his wife stayed here in 1974, and as it turned out, they were the only overnight guests as the hotel was closing for the season."

"King's one-night stay at The Stanley was punctuated by a vivid nightmare of his screaming son being chased down the hall by a fire hose. "I woke up with a tremendous jerk, sweating all over, within an inch of falling out of bed. I got up, lit a cigarette, sat in a chair looking out the window at the Rockies, and by the time the cigarette was done, I had the bones of 'The Shining' firmly set in my mind," King explained."

"My time at The Stanley was nothing like King's-with the exception of a chilling dream that still haunts me. I arrived on a grey, summer day, antsy and a little nervous. I had no idea what to expect from the hotel that both inspired "The Shining" and was investigated by the reality TV series Ghost Hunters. It didn't occur to me-perhaps fortunately-that my visit would fall on a Friday the 13th."

The Stanley Hotel perches above Estes Park, Colorado, and served as the setting that inspired The Shining after a solitary, snowbound stay in Room 217. Stephen King experienced a vivid nightmare there that helped crystallize the novel. The hotel embraces a haunted reputation through ghost tours, seances, and a year-long waitlist for Room 217 while also functioning as a landmark gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Stanley combines Colonial Revival architecture and an imposing, estate-like presence with modern amenities, attracting fans of horror, ghost hunters, and general tourists alike.

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