The Spooky Scary Stanley

 Author: GrimDank

One would think, when looking at this image, that they were looking at a normal, historic, high-class hotel or mountain resort. Well, in some ways, that person is right. This is the Stanley Hotel, located in the beautiful Estes Park in the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. According to Kathy Weiser-Alexander in her article "The Haunted Stanley Park Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado”  the Stanley Hotel was built and named after Freelan Oscar Stanley after he stayed a summer in Estes Park. For you see, Mister Stanley suffered from a painful diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, which at the time could only be treated with rest in a warm, dry environment. Upon his recovery, he had the hotel built in 1909, where it remains operational to this day.

However, not all is as it seems, for the hotel houses many otherworldly guests as well as the living. Indeed, many guests over the years have claimed to have had their own paranormal experiences while enjoying their stay at the Stanley. In fact, one of the most influential horror writers of all time, Stephen King, was apparently moved to write the plot of “The Shining” due to a nightmare he had during his stay.  The writer and owner of the blog Amy’s Crypt, who goes by the simple pen name of Amy, recounts the imagery present in King’s dream in her article entitled “Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel and a Night in Room 217.” King claims that after retiring from a night of  exploring, he dreamt that the fire hose in hallway came to life and strangled his young son. Upon waking in a cold sweat, he got up for a cigarette, and when said cigarette was naught but ashes, the beginnings of the plot for one of the greatest horror stories of all time had rooted itself in his mind.

Of course, spooky happenings are not exclusive to horror novelists. According to a Fox News Report  by Sky McCarthy, a hotel guest managed to capture a frighteningly clear image of what appears to be a woman standing at the top of the stairs.

The man also claimed he felt strangely ill for the rest of the night. An interview with the man in question, named Henry Yau, can be found here.

While it certainly doesn’t hold a candle to Luigi’s Mansion, it is evident enough that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the Stanley hotel. And there are plenty of spooks to be had, be they ghost maids who do your laundry, incorporeal cowboys who watch you sleep, or even the faint scent of baked goods as you wander the old employee tunnels beneath the hotel itself (Amy).

Works Cited:

Amy. “Ghosts of the Stanley Hotel and a Night in Room 217.” Amy’s Crypt. 20 Oct 2022. https://amyscrypt.com/stanley-hotel-room-217/

McCarthy, Sky. “Stanley Hotel Guest Captures Creepy Figure in Lobby.” Fox News. 20 Oct 2022. https://www.foxnews.com/travel/stanley-hotel-guest-captures-creepy-figure-in-lobby.amp

“Q&A With Man Who Took Viral Stanley Hotel ‘Ghost’ Photo.” YouTube, uploaded by 9NEWS, 18 Apr 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aflFMkFi4TQ accessed 24 Oct 2022

Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. “The Haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.” Legends of America. 17 Oct 2022. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/stanley-hotel-colorado/

Links for Further Research: 

“The Stanley Hotel’s Haunted History.” Uncover Colorado.  https://www.uncovercolorado.com/stanley-hotel-haunted-history/ This article written by Patrick McGuire, a freelance writer who posts informative articles of some of the most popular locations in Colorado, gives the reader a general overview of the history of the hotel and examples of some of the paranormal activity that occurs within the hotel’s many rooms.

“6 Things I Saw During My Stay at the ‘Haunted’ Stanley Hotel.” The Points Guy. https://thepointsguy.com/news/haunted-stanley-hotel-stay/amp/ In this article Ashley Kosciolek, a travel blogger with ten years of writing experience with travel, recounts her overwhelmingly normal stay at the Stanley Hotel.

“Welcome to the Stanley Hotel.” The Stanley. https://www.stanleyhotel.com/ The official website of the Hotel contains an ‘About’ page with some history of the hotel, as well as listings for booking a room and touring the hotel.

Horror at the Stanley Hotel

 By Stephen Blystone

 

 

The Stanley Hotel is not only a beautiful vacation spot to just get away, it is also one ofthe most well-known hotels in America, but not for the reasons you may expect. As soon as thehotel opened in early July 1909, it was well known for being a nice and beautiful place to staymainly because explained on eptrail.com by Buck, Barb. March 10, 2014, “It was one of the firsthotels west of the Mississippi to have electricity.” But the main reason for its fame today is thecountless cases of paranormal activity encountered while staying at the hotel. 

 

The most famous story about the Stanley Hotel Takes place in room 217, not long after the hotel was built there was an explosion as the head housekeeper was lighting candles during a storm, the explosion in room 217 destroyed the floor beneath her but she miraculously survived. This was stated on “Nightlyspirits.com” but the author was not posted. In an interview with my uncle (who would like to stay anonymous), he stated that “while at the checkout desk he felt a child run up and grab his shirt and yank on it, but when he turned around no one was there”. 

 

If you have ever seen the movie “The Shining” by Stephen King, you may know more about the Stanley Hotel than you even realize. While writing “The Shining” Mr. King stayed at the Stanley Hotel, but not just in any room, he stayed in room 217. That’s right the same room that has such a horrific story behind it is the same room where one of the most well-known books and horror movies of all time was conceived. Some of the events in “The Shining” were based on actual events that occurred during Stephen King, and his wife Tabitha were occupants. Some people even speculate that the main character Jack is supposed to be Mr. King. 

 

While the most famous part of the hotel is all of the paranormal activity that occurs within the four walls, as seen on multiple ghost hunting tv-shows, beauty is one of the things that keep people coming back. Located in Colorado near a beautiful hillside, this haunted hotel is one of the places that any paranormal junkie or movie buff must visit. Countless years of paranormal activity, celebrity visits, and stories that get passed around ever since that one stormy night when the housekeeper almost lost her life. This is what gives the Stanley Hotel its spooky reputation. 

Work Cited Reference:
“The Stanley Hotel to House Horror-Themed Film Center.” Entertainment Close-Up, Close-Up Media, Inc, 2015. This article talks a great deal about the horrors that have occurred over the many years that the Stanley Hotel has been open. This article also talks about how this may be one of the first horror-themed museums http://closeupmedia.com/search.html Accessed on October 25, 2021. 

 

“A Night at The Stanley Hotel.” The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Tribune Content Agency, 2016. This article is about what you may encounter while staying the night inside of the Stanley Hotel. It goes in-depth about all of the supernatural encounters people have encountered and what you may encounter as well.https://gazette.com/life/colorados-stanley-hotel-offers-plenty-of-haunted-tales/article_608df8f4-5c12-57c0-a362-e3dc70103bfa.html Accessed on October 25, 2021
 

Anonymous Uncle. “My ghostly experience” 2021. My uncle  has stayed inside of this hotel before and he believes he came in contact with a spirit. He believes that a child’s spirit ran up behind him and tugged on his shirt because when he turned and looked around no one was there but his shirt had just been pulled.

 

If you would like to look more into the Stanley Hotel, here are some links to get you started.
● https://www.stanleyhotel.com/hotel.html
● https://www.thetravel.com/stanley-hotel-facts-ghost-creepy/
● https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20140306-stephen-kings-hotel-of-horrors