The Stanley Hotel, Historic resort hotel in Estes Park, United States
The Stanley Hotel is a resort hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, with white Colonial Revival architecture, red roofs, and 140 rooms offering views toward Lake Estes and Longs Peak. The building spans several floors with verandas, turrets, and a central entrance defined by columns and large windows.
Freelan Oscar Stanley, inventor of steam-powered cars, opened this hotel in 1909 as a mountain retreat for wealthy guests seeking the altitude and air of the Rocky Mountains. The building quickly became a social gathering point for American high society before later gaining fame as a film location.
The connection to Stephen King's novel The Shining has turned the hotel into a gathering place for horror fans and literary enthusiasts who come to experience the setting that inspired the story. Ghost tours and paranormal events draw visitors interested in the supernatural, while others arrive simply for the mountain scenery and early 20th-century architecture.
Tours through the building run during the day and cover the public areas and architecture, while some tours at night focus on the paranormal. The hotel has a restaurant, a whiskey bar, and sits near Rocky Mountain National Park, making it possible to combine a stay with hiking.
The original electric lighting and steam heating were cutting-edge technology at opening time in a remote mountain area without regular power supply. Many guests report hearing unexplained sounds in the corridors and rooms, especially in room 217, which is often fully booked.
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