The story
Freelan Oscar Stanley built this Georgian Colonial Revival hotel in 1909 after doctors told him he had tuberculosis and should seek mountain air. The Estes Park climate cured him, and he built the Stanley as a destination for wealthy tourists.
In October 1974, Stephen King and his wife Tabitha checked into room 217 - the only guests that night before the hotel closed for winter. King wandered the empty hallways, had drinks in the deserted bar (served by a bartender named Grady), and that night dreamed of his three-year-old son running through the corridors, chased by a fire hose.
He woke in a cold sweat with the entire plot of The Shining in his head. The Overlook Hotel was born.
What's There Now
Still operating as a luxury hotel. Offers ghost tours, paranormal investigations, and screenings of The Shining in the hotel theater. The 1997 TV miniseries was filmed here. Room 217 and the "Stephen King Suite" (401) are most requested.
Everything that was here
- 1909–present · still open
The Stanley HotelHaunted Hotel
Stephen King checked into room 217 on a nearly empty October night. He had a nightmare about his son being chased through the halls. He woke up with The Shining.
See the map in 1910 →
Nearby history
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