OCT 24, 2024 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Zoe Smith
In September of 1974, The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo. was about to shut its doors for the season — potentially forever.
Most of the staff had already left, hoping to escape the mountains before a winter storm set in, but on that last day, Stephen King walked in looking for any place to rest his head, not knowing at the time his most successful novel would be born right there.
King was an up and coming author at this time who had one novel out, “Carrie.” He was looking for the nearest hotel he could pull into when he stumbled upon The Stanley Hotel. After arguing, the staff agreed to let him stay the night even though they were technically closed for the season. He was curious about the abandoned looking place. Tired from a long day, King and his wife went to bed in the only room the hotel had to offer — room 217.
Room 217 is the most famous room in the entire resort. It was once the Presidential Suite, but after King and his wife spent the night there, it was renamed to the Stephen King Suite. It was in this room where King had one of the most vivid nightmares of his son, only a toddler at the time, being chased and strangled by a snake. In that one nightmare, King woke, inspired to write what he had dreamt, and three years later, “The Shining” was finally published and King quickly became the greatest horror author to ever live.
“The Shining” follows Jace Torrence, a writer who takes a job as a caretaker at the remote Overlook Hotel in Colo. with his wife and son during the winter months, when the resort is shut down. His son, Danny, has been experiencing odd psychic premonitions, which get worse the longer they stay in the isolated hotel. At the same time Jack begins to discover the dark secrets lurking in the walls of the building and is slowly brought to insanity turned homicidal as he is compelled to terrorize his trapped family.
King was seemingly inspired by the history of horror associated with the hotel. When The Stanley opened its doors in 1909, a string of deaths and unfortunate events seemed to follow in the coming years. From a young girl, Lucy, who lost her life on the property after being stuck outside in a snowstorm who now lurks the grounds to Dennis, a full body appropriation that haunts the staff quarters. There is Paul, a groundskeeper with colorful language who had a heart attack shoveling snow. The most famous is the ghost of a maid. The maid was cleaning in room 217, the same one King resided in, when there was a gas explosion in the room and she fell through the floor into the ballroom below. Guests have reported that they will wake up or return to their rooms to see their clothes neatly unpacked, suspected to be from the maid.
The hotel sits high above the rest of the town of Estes Park and as I stepped out of the car, I could feel an eerie presence in the quiet stillness of The Stanley Hotel. Through the hustle and bustle of the lobby, I felt my nerves come to life. As we explored the expansive property, it was fascinating to see how The Stanley Hotel plays into the spooky act of one of horror’s greatest works.
The best part of the stay was that our hotel room was located right next to room 217, the infamous Stephen King Suite. The infamous room was thrust into the spotlight of King’s story when the son Dann, stumbles into an unlocked room to await a terrifying site, in a room named 237 (based on 217).
There were all different tours available for people staying or just passing through. There was a historical tour, a ghost tour and the most popular, “The Shining” tour. On the tour, we were led into the caretaker’s house, the inspiration for the space where the family stayed in the novel. Inside the caretaker’s house was the ax Jack Nicholson used in the final scenes of the 1980 film. We were warned not to take any pictures in the bedroom, or we might just see the daughters of the caretaker.
When night fell, the true spirit of The Stanley Hotel came to life. After dark, the entire exterior of the building is lit up in a red glow, casting an ominous glow into the windows of the lobby and every room. My friends and I lay in the room, hoping to drift off into sleep but were interrupted by the red light peaking through the edges of the curtain. For hours, as we all tried to slip into sleep, we were kept awake by the heavy footsteps above and the creaking of the walls around us.
A place that once almost shut its doors permanently is now a bustling hotspot for tourists of the outdoors and lovers of the history of the horror that resides in the walls. While I didn’t see anything that solved the unknown mystery of ghosts, I could feel the presence of the haunted history everywhere I stepped. It has earned its name as one of the most haunted places in the world, and if a person is looking for a night full of scares, The Stanley Hotel is the perfect place for it.