LUXURIOUS HAUNTED HOTEL EXPERIENCE by Geraldine Treacy

A LUXURIOUS HAUNTED HOTEL EXPERIENCE

by Geraldine Treacy

Travel + Leisure magazine lists The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado as one of the 20 most haunted places in America. A short trip from Denver, the luxurious hotel is a fantastic destination for a Colorado vacation getaway, wedding, groups, and business ventures all year round.

The beautiful stately hotel served as the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's 1977 novel The Shining and its 1980 film adaptation. It was also a filming location for the related 1997 TV miniseries. In the lobby of the Stanley Hotel, you can pose for a photo as one of the Grady twins from 'The Shining.'

Jim Carrey stayed in Room 217 at the hotel during the filming of Dumb and Dumber but left abruptly in the middle of the night to find another hotel. He refused to say why his abrupt exit. Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, folk revival icons during the Rolling Thunder Revue tour stayed at the hotel.

The Stanley Hotel has a storied history that begins well before Stephen King stepped foot on the property, and the hotel once hosted guests like Molly Brown, John Philip Sousa, and Theodore Roosevelt. Today the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Immerse yourself in the rich story of the history of The Stanley Hotel! This 60-minute walking tour will introduce you to Mr. F.O. Stanley, his wife Flora, Stephen King, and other noteworthy visitors since 1909. The Stanley Hotel Historic Day Tour is a unique way to experience the hotel's history, architecture, folklore, and pop culture with a knowledgeable storyteller. Each tour offers you opportunities to explore, ask questions, and perhaps leave with a few stories of your own.

The story of the Stanley Hotel itself began in 1903 when Yankee inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley arrived in the valley, weak and underweight from the symptoms of consumption. To his amazement, just one season here was enough to restore his health to better than before! Overjoyed, he vowed to return each summer for the rest of his life. However, he and his wife Flora were used to the sophistication of East Coast society, and the little community of Estes Park offered little to stimulate and challenge this multi-talented genius. Together, they resolved to build a beautiful grand hotel – and when the Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, the first guests who pulled up in stylish Stanley-designed steam cars were astonished at what they saw. Here in this mountain wilderness, surrounded by the rustic haunts of the hunter and homesteader, was an edifice that withstood comparison to the posh hotels “back east.” Electric lights, telephones, en suite bathrooms, a staff of uniformed servants and a fleet of automobiles were at their disposal. Naturally, Stanley had also done much to develop the burgeoning town. By 1917, it was an official municipality with water-works, a power plant and civic organizations that were all, in some way, thanks to Stanley.

References to "Redrum" ("murder" spelled backward) are common throughout the hotel. A small shop in the lobby offers mugs, shot glasses, shirts and postcards emblazoned with the word, and the hotel's attached Cascades Restaurant & Lounge features a pricey "Redrum Punch" cocktail made with framboise, rum, blackberry liqueur, agave, lime and pineapple.

References to "Redrum" ("murder" spelled backward) are common throughout the hotel. A small shop in the lobby offers mugs, shot glasses, shirts and postcards emblazoned with the word, and the hotel's attached Cascades Restaurant & Lounge features a pricey "Redrum Punch" cocktail made with framboise, rum, blackberry liqueur, agave, lime and pineapple.

Tours are available daily and each restaurant, bar, museum, or spa offers a unique experience. Literally brought back from the dead, thanks to one of the most famous and successful writers of all time, it’s no wonder that The Stanley Hotel is considered among the most haunted hotels in the world. If you are

Jim Carrey stayed in Room 217 at the hotel during the filming of Dumb and Dumber but left abruptly in the middle of the night to find another hotel. He refused to say why his abrupt exit. Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, folk revival icons during the Rolling Thunder Revue tour stayed at the hotel.

The Stanley Hotel has a storied history that begins well before Stephen King stepped foot on the property, and the hotel once hosted guests like Molly Brown, John Philip Sousa, and Theodore Roosevelt. Today the hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Immerse yourself in the rich story of the history of The Stanley Hotel! This 60-minute walking tour will introduce you to Mr. F.O. Stanley, his wife Flora, Stephen King, and other noteworthy visitors since 1909. The Stanley Hotel Historic Day Tour is a unique way to experience the hotel's history, architecture, folklore, and pop culture with a knowledgeable storyteller. Each tour offers you opportunities to explore, ask questions, and perhaps leave with a few stories of your own.

The story of the Stanley Hotel itself began in 1903 when Yankee inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley arrived in the valley, weak and underweight from the symptoms of consumption. To his amazement, just one season here was enough to restore his health to better than before! Overjoyed, he vowed to return each summer for the rest of his life. However, he and his wife Flora were used to the sophistication of East Coast society, and the little community of Estes Park offered little to stimulate and challenge this multi-talented genius. Together, they resolved to build a beautiful grand hotel – and when the Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, the first guests who pulled up in stylish Stanley-designed steam cars were astonished at what they saw. Here in this mountain wilderness, surrounded by the rustic haunts of the hunter and homesteader, was an edifice that withstood comparison to the posh hotels “back east.” Electric lights, telephones, en suite bathrooms, a staff of uniformed servants and a fleet of automobiles were at their disposal. Naturally, Stanley had also done much to develop the burgeoning town.

By 1917, it was an official municipality with water-works, a power plant and civic organizations that were all, in some way, thanks to Stanley. References to "Redrum" ("murder" spelled backward) are common throughout the hotel. A small shop in the lobby offers mugs, shot glasses, shirts and postcards emblazoned with the word, and the hotel's attached Cascades Restaurant & Lounge features a pricey "Redrum Punch" cocktail made with framboise, rum, blackberry liqueur, agave, lime and pineapple.

References to "Redrum" ("murder" spelled backward) are common throughout the hotel. A small shop in the lobby offers mugs, shot glasses, shirts and postcards emblazoned with the word, and the hotel's attached Cascades Restaurant & Lounge features a pricey "Redrum Punch" cocktail made with framboise, rum, blackberry liqueur, agave, lime and pineapple.

Tours are available daily and each restaurant, bar, museum, or spa offers a unique experience. Literally brought back from the dead, thanks to one of the most famous and successful writers of all time, it’s no wonder that The Stanley Hotel is considered among the most haunted hotels in the world. If you are brave enough to visit, the Stanley is waiting with arms wide open.