The Stanley Hotel

The Stanley Hotel is a grand Colonial Revival resort hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, set against the mountains at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley, co-inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile, who came to the area for his health and opened the hotel in 1909 as an elegant retreat for well-to-do visitors. With its white facade, red roof and sweeping views, it became a landmark of early Colorado tourism and remains a distinctive example of the era's resort architecture.

The hotel is famous for inspiring Stephen King's novel The Shining after he stayed there in 1974, and it leans gently into that legacy, with stories about Room 217 and reports from guests of music, voices and other experiences. These accounts are anecdotal and subjective, closely bound up with the hotel's literary fame rather than any documented phenomena.

Beyond the ghost stories, the Stanley's genuine value lies in its architecture, its association with F.O. Stanley and its long role in the tourism history of the Colorado Rockies. It endures as both a working hotel and a cultural landmark.

The Stanley Hotel is an operating hotel and resort open to the public, offering guest rooms, dining, weddings and events, and a programme of tours, including history and ghost-themed tours of the property. Rooms and tours can be booked directly, and popular dates fill quickly.

As a working hotel, day visitors on tours should respect the privacy of overnight guests and staff and follow the venue's guidance.