This iconic hotel in Colorado inspired The Shining and was originally a health retreat for tuburculosis sufferers, and actually has no history of violence. We stayed in room 428 that is supposedly haunted by a kindly man, and hunted in the hallways where ghostly children are said to play. We photographed a strange red orb in our search for paranormal phenomenon.

 

Date: August 5, 2018

Location: Estes Park, Colorado

Investigators: Chris, Matt

 

Location History

The Stanley Hotel is a Colonial Revival hotel that opened in 1909 as a resort for the wealthy and health retreat for tuberculosis sufferers. The hotel was the inspiration for the Stephen King book, The Shining, after he and his wife spent a night there.

While the hotel has no history of violence or death, there are rumors and tales of ghosts that roam the hotel and grounds. The original owners, the Stanleys, are said to have been seen in the billiards room, bar, or playing the piano.

Ghost hunters from around the country travel to this remote hotel to search for paranormal evidence so we knew we had to investigate.

Our Experience

As you drive into Estes Park, the first sight you see is a large ominous white building. The Stanley Hotel is well situated overlooking the town and valley below. The wide lobby has an old fashioned check-in desk, adorned with a wall of skeleton keys, welcoming you.

We had booked room 428, one of the rooms known to be haunted. The room is on the top floor in a corner overlooking the town below. While Matt parked the car, I made my way up a teeny tiny rickety old elevator to our room. I then hid in a creepy little closet to await my husband.

When he arrived, not finding me, he quickly realized that I’d be trying to scare him, and wasn’t startled to find me crouching in the closet giggling like a kid.

Our room was supposedly haunted by a kindly man who reaches out to those sleeping in bed. It’s as if he is checking your temperature and making sure you are feeling okay. We spent two nights at the hotel but did not get a visit from Mr. Nice Guy.

The hotel features a nighttime tour where we learned about the history of the building. The tour took us to some haunted hot spots including the basement, the billiards room, and the adjacent Concert Hall building.

Our guide told us that ghost children are known to grab at dum dum lollipops if you hold them in your palm face up. We took her advice and picked up some candies to entice the ghost children to come out and play with us.

Late that evening, we sat in a corridor where the children are said to play. Even with our candy, EMF detector, and recorders, we were unable to detect any presences.

Unexplained Phenomena

The only strange occurrence we had was in the basement of the Concert Hall. I took two pictures in a row. One of the photos had a red light; I hate to use the word orb as I think most of that is hokey. The second photo did not have it which was intriguing.

There may be a perfectly logical explanation for the red light, but I don’t know what caused it.

Did we capture paranormal evidence?

Maybe. We caught a red colored orb on a photo.

While no overt greetings from a ghost during our visit, we highly recommend a stay at the Stanley. The narrow corridors, rich wooden railings, classic furnishings, and ornate decor make for a fun short trip.