Stories

Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.

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Many believe the Stanley Hotel is haunted, having reported a number of cases of ghostly activity, primarily in the ballroom. Kitchen staff have reported to have heard a party going on in the ballroom, only to find it empty. People in the lobby have allegedly heard someone playing the ballroom's piano; employees investigating the music supposedly find nobody sitting at the piano. Employees believe that particular ghost is of Freelan O. Stanley's wife, who used to be a piano player. In one guest room, people claim to have seen a man standing over the bed before running into the closet. This same apparition is allegedly responsible for stealing guests' jewellery, watches, and luggage. Others reported to have seen ghosts in their rooms in the middle of the night, simply standing in their room before disappearing.

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1028
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanley_Hotel#Hau...

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Many reports have come from the guests of the hotel that they had seen strange images and had unexplainable things happen to them. Some believe that F. O. Stanley haunts the hotel himself. He has been seen most often in the lobby and the Billiards room, which was his favorite room when he was alive. He has also been seen in the bar but quickly disappears before anyone can get a better look.

It is also believed that F.O.'s wife Flora haunts the hotel as well. When she was in the hotel, she used to entertain the guests by playing piano in the music room. Though there have been no actual sightings of her, the keys of the piano have been seen by several guests to be moving by themselves.

Guests have also reported hearing children playing in the hallway when no children were present, one couple even checking out because of the noise. Various employees have reported hearing voices when no one was around and seeing impressions in beds in rooms where no guests have stayed in for awhile. One guest claimed to have recorded a faded image of a man in a cowboy hat in his room, standing in front of the window. It lasted for a few minutes and then faded away. Another incident occurred where a guest attending her sister's wedding wrote "REDRUM" on a mirror with lipstick in her sister and her groom-to-be's room a joke. Later, as she was walking down the grand staircase to the lobby, she felt someone shove her and she fell down the stairs. After being helped up, she looked to see who shoved her, but no one was around to have done so.

Many strange events seem to take place in the Stanley Hotel for sure. Some are certainly less explainable than others. Why people believe they see the Stanleys has no reasonable explanation. Noises that guests and employees hear could be the creaking of heaters that they think might be ghosts, or the shifting of the pine wood that some of the hotel is made from. Voices that they hear could be echoing through the floors and walls from other rooms. That could account for the children that are heard as well. Or they could actually be children that hide when someone tells them to stop or keep it down. The guest who recorded the ghost wearing the cowboy hat would be more reliable if he showed this recording rather than say he did. And the girl who claimed to be shoved could very well have lied. After all, she was in the process of pulling a prank when it happened.

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1029
Source(s):
http://www.monstrous.com/Monstrous_Places/Haunted_...

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The ghosts in the Stanley Hotel aren't evil as in the book. Room 418 seems to have the most ghostly activity reported. In fact, the entire fourth floor of the Stanley Hotel (formerly the servants quarters) is quite active. Often, the sound of children playing in the halls of the Stanley can be heard, even when no children are present.

The Stanleys:

The Stanley Hotel's original owners, F.O. and Flora Stanley, are said to haunt the hotel as well. Mr Stanley plays the piano in the music room, and frequents the billards room and the lobby

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1030
Source(s):
http://hotels.about.com/od/hauntedhotelsatoz/p/hau...

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Video of the Stanley Hotel Ghost Tour and the Famous Room 217

Video by: Writer Dude

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1031
Source(s):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8V56yqHc1c

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Greetings, Five years ago I was living in Estes Park and had several paranormal experiences there. The first place I worked was at the historic (and haunted) Elkhorn Lodge, just West of town across the street from the American Wilderness Lodge.

The Elkhorn was built in 1874 ( two years before the Custer massacre at the Little Big Horn). President Teddy Roosevelt used to stay there often and there is a portrait of him (which I did myself) hanging in the dining room. During my time working there, I had one particular experience that I will always remember. It was on a very sunny day and I wanted to take some pictures of the teepees that the manager (Jerry) had put up behind the bunkhouses for the tourists. I was taking a photo of the main, largest teepee with an instamatic camera and when the picture came out, I saw a huge, figure of a man standing in front of the teepee. The strange thing was that this man was beyond normal height and transparent! You could see the teepee through him in the background. I immediately thought "Ghost picture!".

I ran to the nearest person I could see (Dawn, another wrangler) and tried to get her attention, but she was with customers (a family asking about the trail rides). She gave me the "I'm busy with customers" look and I waited impatiently for her to finish. Their conversation dragged on and on and I kept looking at the picture. I noticed that the figure in the photo was beginning to fade, so I gave up and ran to the stables to show somebody there. At the back of the stables, my girlfriend was putting one of the horses away and I yelled to her to "hurry up and come here, NOW!" She yelled back that she had to put the horse away first and I watched as the figure faded completely away. Later, Dawn found me and asked me what I wanted and I told her about the picture and described the man I saw as wearing old Western clothing with a leather vest and holding a whip. I told her he was huge. She looked at me and said "You saw ________, he was the stagecoach driver who used to pick people up in Denver and bring 'em up here in the old days. Everyone was afraid of him because he was so big and so mean." So, I didn't have the picture, but at least somebody believed me and validated my story. She also told me that the Lodge is haunted by the daughter of the man who built it. Other employees, who worked in housekeeping, told me that in her room you couldn't move the rocking chair or else things would begin to fly through the air. Her dresses hang in the hallway upstairs in the lodge. In fact, the lodge is a museum as well as a place to stay. It's a great place to visit if you get the chance.

I worked for a longer time at the Stanley Hotel and had several experiences there.

Thanks for your time.

P.S. I can suggest a coulple of booklets by local (Estes) resident ghost enthusiasts, the series: Ghosts of the Estes Valley and More Ghosts of the Estes Valley. In my opinion, the whole area is a "goldmine" of paranormal activity. Stephen King created one of his greatest novels "The Shining" while staying at the Stanley and I think he had a LOT of inspiration from those surroundings. One Denver female psychic who toured the Stanley for a live Halloween broadcast one year, came out of the building and when asked by reporters if she sensed anything, said: " I won't ever go back in there, not because its haunted, but because there are so many of them."

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1032
Source(s):
http://www.rockymountainparanormal.com/stanley.htm

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I stayed at the Stanley Hotel Sunday night (5/31/09). At 2 am I woke to the creaking floor. The sound was inside the room. The hotel is old and the floor is noisy - but only when you walk on it. My room -mate was also awaken by the noise. We both got up and took turns using bathroom and then went back to bed. She said she felt like there was someone in the room. I laughed and told her "nope - just us". After falling back to sleep, I was awaken again; the blankets were being pulled tightly across my legs and feet after a minute I kicked them away and fell back asleep. Again I woke up but this time my bed was gently shaking back and forth gently. IAt first, I was too scared to talk then I was able to say my friends name. I asked her if she experienced anything and she said no - said the reason I was hunted was because I said there was no one else in the room. When he stopped to talk to us, it suddenly started getting really high readings - don't know if I believe in ghost detectors but it was strange.

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1033
Source(s):
http://www.rockymountainparanormal.com/stanley.htm

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You may have heard of an author name Stephen King. And you may have heard of a book and film called "The Shining." Here lies the inspiration within...

The Stanley Hotel began construction in 1906 and opened in 1909. F. O. Stanley and his wife Flora built their home nearby and then this hotel. F.O. built a hydroelectric plant up in the mountains so as the hotel could be all electric. He even had phones in every room. Both were quite a luxury at the time.

The Stanley was a summer resort so heat was not added until 1979. Before then, any heat in the building came from fireplaces on the first floor. Other than that, it is mostly the same as in 1909.

Besides a history that includes the last quarter of the film "Dumb and Dumber," many celebrities and tourists have enjoyed the Stanley over the years. Most notably, Stephen King, who wrote half of "the Shining" in room 217. Stephen King came back when the ABC mini-series was filmed here as well. Stanley Kubrick's film version was NOT filmed here. They used sets for most of that film.

There aren't any known evil spirits at the Stanley Hotel. The Shining was fiction after all. The ghosts of the owners are still around. In the music room, Mrs. Stanley's favorite, you may hear the piano playing by itself. Or you may feel the presence of Mr. F.O. Stanley around the lobby or in his favorite space, the Billiard room. 

The fourth floor is the old servant quarters and fairly active with spirits. You will notice the narrow corridors. The sound of children playing in the halls is common. Even when there isn't a child in the building. The center of the activity in the hotel seems to be the very active room 418.

Added by: jragan on 01/30/2011 DB#:1034
Source(s):
http://www.allstays.com/Haunted/co_estespark_stanl...

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Paranormal Claims

Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.

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Claim #	Added	Added By	Claim
1225	01/30/2011	jragan	Guests have seen the keys of the piano move by themselves.
1229	01/30/2011	jragan	A guest as reported to be shoved down the stairs of the grand staircase.
1228	01/30/2011	jragan	Employees have reported seeing impressions in beds in rooms where no guests have stayed in for awhile.
1227	01/30/2011	jragan	Employees have reported hearing voices and conversations when nobody was around.
1226	01/30/2011	jragan	Guests have heard children playing and running in the hallway, but nobody was there.
1224	01/30/2011	jragan	The ghost of F.O. Stanley has been seen in the lobby, billiards room, and the bar.
1223	01/30/2011	jragan	Many have reported seeing ghosts standing in their room, and then they just disappear.
1222	01/30/2011	jragan	A ghost is reported being responsible for stealing jewelry, watches, and luggage.
1221	01/30/2011	jragan	Guests have reported seeing an apparition of a man in a guest room, and then he turned and ran into the closet.
1220	01/30/2011	jragan	People have reported hearing the ballroom piano, but nobody is playing it.
1219	01/30/2011	jragan	Staff members have reported hearing a party going on in the ballroom, although there is nobody in there.
1232	01/30/2011	jragan	Guests have reported their bed clothes being pulled off of them in the middle of the night.
1231	01/30/2011	jragan	Guests have reported the feeling that they were being watched.
1230	01/30/2011	jragan	Guests have heard strange noises and voices in their room.
2584	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 418, guests report hangers moving on their own.
2577	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, there are reports of the closet door opening and closing on its own.
2585	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 418, guests report lights in the bathroom turning on and off on their own.
2586	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 418, a guest reported that her daughter reported being tickled by a little boy throughout the night, but she told him to stop and he did.
2587	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 428, guests report a ghost cowboy appearing and pacing at the end of the bed. When asked to leave, he obeys, but first leans over female guests as if to kiss her.
2588	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 428, female guests report being woken to a cowboy kissing them on the forehead.
2589	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 417, guests report finding their luggage unpacked for them.
2590	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 417, guests report finding their shoes having been lined up at the end of their bed.
2591	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 417, guests report shadow figures that pass through the walls. (This room was part of a larger suite until the 2000's.)
2592	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 1302, guests report shadow figures walking near walls of the room.
2593	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 1302, guests report photos flying off the walls.
2594	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 1302, Grant from TAPS (Ghost Hunter) reported a table levitating.
2595	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 413, guests report seeing a man in old fashioned clothing in the corner of the room.
2596	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 413, guests report being woken to the feeling of strangulation.
2597	08/20/2017	sdonley	At room 413's door, guests report seeing the face of a man in a blue ball floating outside of the door.
2583	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 418, guests report covers being removed from the bed at night.
2582	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 407, guests report the feeling of someone sitting on the edge of the bed, but when lights get turned on, no one is there, though there was an indentation on the bed as if someone was sitting there.
2581	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 407, a little boy reported that he was continually recovered when he kicked his cover off throughout the night. His mother reported that she had not awoken at all that night and certainly did not recover the boy.
2580	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 407, guests have reported being "TUCKED IN".
2579	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, guests report KII meter fluctuations around a chair near the closet.
2578	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, Jason Hawes of TAPS (Ghost Hunters) reported having a drinking glass implode on the nightstand while he was sleeping.
2576	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, guests report their jewelry disappearing.
2575	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, men report feeling unwelcome and the feeling of someone pressing them into the bed.
2574	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, women report feeling a hand moving up and down the back of their legs.
2573	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, women report feeling an arm around their shoulders and/or waist.
2572	08/20/2017	sdonley	In room 401, women report feeling their hair being played with.
2571	08/20/2017	sdonley	Investigators have recorded EVPs throughout the entire complex.
2570	08/20/2017	sdonley	Many guests and investigators have taken pictures that have unexplained light orbs in them.
2569	08/20/2017	sdonley	Guests have taken photographs of a face within the flag that is hanging in the bar.
2643	01/15/2018	sdonley	An apparition of a women has been photographed on the stairs.

Paranormal Evidence

Paranormal evidence is based on claims that have been reported for this location. There can be several types of evidence; however, we have grouped them based on media type for better organization. Here you will find evidence that are logs, audio, video, or photographic.

To add evidence for a claim, you must submit it to PANICd.com for approval to be entered into the database.

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CLAIM #: 1230 - Guests have heard strange noises and voices in their room.
	Evidence Type: Video Encounter Type: EVP Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Video of strange noises in a guest's room. Submitted By: jragan On: 01/31/2011 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 2569 - Guests have taken photographs of a face within the flag that is hanging in the bar.
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Other Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Face showing up in American Flag Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 2570 - Many guests and investigators have taken pictures that have unexplained light orbs in them.
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Orb Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Photos taken in the Stanley's Concert Hall Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Orb Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Mini Investigation in Room 413 Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Orb Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	EMF and Orb in Concert Hall Balcony Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Orb Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Catacomb Photo Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 2571 - Investigators have recorded EVPs throughout the entire complex.
	Evidence Type: Audio Encounter Type: EVP Hauting Type: Intelligent Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Mini Investigation in Room 413 Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
	Evidence Type: Audio Encounter Type: EVP Hauting Type: Intelligent Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Audio EVP Submitted By: sdonley On: 01/14/2018 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 2597 - At room 413's door, guests report seeing the face of a man in a blue ball floating outside of the door.
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Orb Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Photo of Blue Orb Submitted By: sdonley On: 08/20/2017 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 2643 - An apparition of a women has been photographed on the stairs.
	Evidence Type: Video Encounter Type: Apparition Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Appartion of Woman on the Steps Submitted By: sdonley On: 01/15/2018 DBA Approved: Y

Additional Resources

This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.

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Ghost Tours Added: 01/30/2011 By: jragan	About the Stanley Hotel Ghost Tours
The 7 Most Haunted Spots in The Stanley Hotel Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	The Stanley Hotel is well-known for being a haunted hotel. Here's where you'll find the most ghosts.
'Ghosts' Caught On Camera At Famed Stanley Hotel In Colorado | HuffPost Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	Who is that little girl on the stairs?
The Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, Colorado - Atlas Obscura Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	Discover The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado: Paranormal experiences in room 217 led Stephen King to write "The Shining.".
What it's like to spend a night at the hotel that inspired The Shining | The Independent Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	It's 3am. Is it the view of the Rockies' icy peaks glittering in the moonlight making me shiver under my quilt, or something else? I need the loo but I can't shake the feeling there's a presence beside the bed. I try not to think about what Madame Vera, the hotel’s clairvoyant, said earlier about a talkative ghost residing in my room. Maybe Kubrick's film of a man going mad in a snowbound, haunted hotel was the wrong thing to watch just before bed.
Stanley Hotel ghost story supported by evidence of Room 217 event - Estes Park Trail-Gazette Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	What makes a good ghost story? The Stanley Hotel's employees have spent a lot of time working on that question and on February 24, they found something else to support one of the most interesting stories they tell.
Fleming: The mystery of Colorado's haunted hotel Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	Is the stately Stanley Hotel in Estes Park haunted? Some scoff at the idea; many aren’t sure, and others are definite that it is. In any event, ghost stories about the hotel remain afloat decade after decade.
Stanley Hotel | Ghost Adventures | Travel Channel Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	Zak, Nick and Aaron get locked down in the Stanley Hotel, the house of horrors that inspired Stephen King's
The Strange Hauntings of the Historic Stanley Hotel Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	As the location that inspired The Shining, the Stanley Hotel is notorious for bizarre and unexplained paranormal activity. Each of its 140 rooms holds a secret, each of its walls tells a story. But is that unassuming hotel in Estes Park, Colorado really haunted by the ghosts of its past residents?
The real story of the terrifying Stanley Hotel that inspired Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	Though the Stanleys have passed, many believe they never actually left.
This Photo of 'Ghosts' at the 'Shining' Hotel Will Give You the Creeps | Travel + Leisure Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	We're officially freaked.
10 of the World’s Most Haunted Hotels Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	There are some uninvited guests lurking in these spooky hotels around the world. Ghostly visions of past patrons overstaying their welcome or former employees haunting the halls have been reported.
Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	"Here's Johnny!" The immortal image of Jack Nicholson movie in The Shining evokes images of horror.
Syfy - Watch Full Episodes | Best of the Stanley Hotel Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	During TAPS's previous visit to the Stanley Hotel they went on a tour with Billy Ward, the concierge. He took them to Room 217, where Stephen King and his wife found their clothes and suitcases put away after leaving the room.
The Stanley Hotel - Wikipedia Added: 01/14/2018 By: sdonley	Wikipedia page for this location

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