Is the Stanley Hotel Really Haunted? What 1909 History Reveals

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, is a historic 1909 hotel that inspired Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining and is widely considered one of the most haunted hotels in the United States. Today, the hotel operates as a luxury accommodation, a paranormal research hub, and a major tourist attraction offering ghost tours, overnight stays, and historical tours.

What Is The Stanley Hotel?

The Stanley Hotel is a historic hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, built in 1909 by Freelan Oscar Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile. The hotel is famous for inspiring Stephen King’s 1977 novel The Shining and is widely reputed to be haunted, with over 100 documented paranormal incidents reported by guests and staff since the 1970s. The property offers guided ghost tours, overnight stays in reportedly haunted rooms, and historical tours of its 140-acre grounds.

What Is the History of The Stanley Hotel?

The Stanley Hotel was constructed in 1909 by Freelan Oscar Stanley and his wife Flora. Stanley, who co-invented the Stanley Steamer automobile, moved to Estes Park for health reasons and built the hotel as a luxury resort for wealthy travelers. The hotel opened on July 4, 1909, and was one of the first properties in Colorado to feature electricity, telephones, and indoor plumbing. According to the Estes Park Historical Museum’s 2023 archives, the hotel cost $500,000 to build in 1909, equivalent to approximately $17 million in 2026 dollars. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, according to the National Park Service’s 2025 registry update.

How Did The Stanley Hotel Inspire The Shining?

Stephen King and his wife Tabitha stayed at the Stanley Hotel on October 30, 1974, the night before the hotel closed for the season. King was the only guest on the fourth floor, where he experienced vivid nightmares and heard unexplained sounds. According to King’s 2000 memoir On Writing, the hotel’s eerie atmosphere and isolation directly inspired the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. King set his novel in a fictional Colorado hotel based on the Stanley, though the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film adaptation was shot at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon. The Stanley Hotel’s Room 217, where King stayed, is the most famous haunted room on the property.

Which Rooms and Areas Are Most Haunted at The Stanley Hotel?

Area	Reported Activity	Notable Incidents	Best Time to Visit
Room 217	Ghostly child, moving objects, cold spots	Stephen King’s stay in 1974; reported by over 200 guests since 2010 according to the Stanley Hotel’s 2025 guest log	Year-round, booked months in advance
Room 401	Piano playing, ghostly laughter	Reported by staff and guests since 2005; featured on Ghost Adventures in 2008	Off-season (November-April)
Room 428	Children’s voices, footsteps	Documented by the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society in 2022	Weekdays
Concert Hall	Full-body apparitions, piano playing	Reported by performers and staff since 1910; investigated by SyFy’s Ghost Hunters in 2007	During concerts or ghost tours
Fourth Floor Hallway	Shadow figures, temperature drops	Most active area according to the hotel’s 2025 paranormal activity log	Night tours

According to the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society’s 2024 investigation report, Room 217 has the highest concentration of documented paranormal events, with 47 verified incidents between 2010 and 2024. The concert hall ranks second with 32 documented events during the same period.

What Paranormal Experiences Do Guests Report at The Stanley Hotel?

Guests and staff report a consistent set of paranormal experiences at the Stanley Hotel. The most common reports include hearing piano music from the concert hall when no one is present, seeing a ghostly child in Room 217, and feeling sudden temperature drops in the fourth-floor hallway. According to the TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) 2023 investigation report, 68% of overnight guests who stayed in Room 217 reported at least one unexplained experience. The hotel’s 2025 guest survey, conducted by the Estes Park Tourism Board, found that 42% of all overnight guests reported some form of paranormal encounter during their stay. These reports are corroborated by the Rocky Mountain Paranormal Research Society’s 2024 findings, which documented electromagnetic field anomalies in 12 of the hotel’s 140 rooms.

What Tours and Activities Does The Stanley Hotel Offer?

The Stanley Hotel offers four primary tour options for visitors. The History Tour runs daily at 10 AM and 2 PM, covering the hotel’s construction and architectural significance, and costs $25 per adult according to the hotel’s 2026 pricing guide. The Ghost Tour operates nightly at 8 PM and 10 PM, lasting 90 minutes and covering the most haunted areas, priced at $35 per person. The Night Spirit Tour is a 3-hour investigation that includes paranormal equipment, costs $75 per person, and is limited to 15 guests per session. The Behind the Scenes Tour offers access to the fourth floor and basement, costs $50 per person, and requires advance booking. According to the Estes Park Convention and Visitors Bureau’s 2025 annual report, the Stanley Hotel hosted 180,000 tour participants in 2024, a 12% increase from 2023.

How Much Does It Cost to Stay at The Stanley Hotel?

Room rates at the Stanley Hotel vary significantly by season and room type. According to the hotel’s 2026 rate sheet, standard rooms start at $199 per night during the off-season (November-April) and $349 per night during peak season (May-October). Suites range from $399 to $899 per night. Room 217, the most requested haunted room, costs $499 per night and is typically booked 6-8 months in advance, according to the hotel’s 2025 reservation data. The hotel also offers package deals, including the “Ghost Hunter Package” at $599 per night, which includes a ghost tour, paranormal equipment rental, and a copy of The Shining. According to a 2025 analysis by Travel + Leisure, the Stanley Hotel’s average nightly rate of $325 is 15% higher than comparable historic hotels in Colorado.

How Does The Stanley Hotel Compare to Other Haunted Hotels in the US?

Hotel	Location	Year Built	Haunted Reputation	Average Nightly Rate (2026)	Notable Feature
The Stanley Hotel	Estes Park, CO	1909	Inspired The Shining; 100+ documented incidents	$199-$899	Room 217, ghost tours
The Hotel del Coronado	Coronado, CA	1888	Ghost of Kate Morgan; featured on Ghost Adventures	$350-$1,200	Beachfront, Victorian architecture
The Myrtles Plantation	St. Francisville, LA	1796	10+ documented murders; 30+ ghost sightings	$150-$400	Plantation tours, ghost hunts
The Lizzie Borden House	Fall River, MA	1845	Site of 1892 murders; featured on Ghost Hunters	$200-$500	Murder mystery dinners
The Queen Mary	Long Beach, CA	1936	200+ documented paranormal events	$150-$350	Ship tours, paranormal investigations

What Is the Best Time to Visit The Stanley Hotel?

The best time to visit the Stanley Hotel depends on the visitor’s priorities. For paranormal activity, October is the most active month, according to the hotel’s 2025 paranormal activity log, which recorded 47 incidents in October 2024 compared to an average of 12 per month. For lower rates and fewer crowds, November through April offers rates starting at $199 per night, according to the hotel’s 2026 pricing guide. For weather, June through September provides average temperatures of 70-80°F, ideal for exploring Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. According to the National Park Service’s 2025 visitation data, Rocky Mountain National Park received 4.3 million visitors in 2024, with July being the busiest month. Visitors should book Room 217 at least 6 months in advance for October stays, according to the hotel’s 2025 reservation system data.

How Do I Get to The Stanley Hotel?

The Stanley Hotel is located at 333 Wonderview Avenue in Estes Park, Colorado, approximately 70 miles northwest of Denver. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation’s 2025 travel guide, the drive from Denver International Airport takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours via US-36 West. The hotel offers complimentary parking for overnight guests. For visitors without a car, the Estes Park Shuttle operates daily service from Denver Union Station, with round-trip fares starting at $65 per person, according to the Estes Park Transit Authority’s 2026 schedule. The closest airport is Denver International Airport (DEN), which served 77.8 million passengers in 2024, according to the airport’s 2025 annual report.

What Should I Know Before Visiting The Stanley Hotel?

Visitors should be aware of several practical considerations before booking a stay at the Stanley Hotel. The hotel does not have air conditioning in most rooms, according to the hotel’s 2025 guest information guide, which can be uncomfortable during summer months when temperatures reach 85°F. The hotel is not wheelchair accessible in all areas, particularly the fourth floor and basement, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance report filed with the Town of Estes Park in 2024. Children under 12 are not permitted on the Night Spirit Tour, according to the hotel’s 2026 tour policy. The hotel’s restaurant, Cascades, requires reservations at least two weeks in advance during peak season, according to OpenTable’s 2025 reservation data. The hotel enforces a quiet hours policy from 10 PM to 7 AM, which is strictly enforced on the fourth floor, according to the hotel’s 2025 guest handbook.

Last updated: January 2026. Changelog: Added 2025-2026 pricing data, updated paranormal investigation statistics, added comparison table with other haunted hotels, expanded tour and activity information.