Room 217 and the Nightmare That Became The Shining

It was autumn in 1974 when Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, drove through the Rockies looking for a place to stay. They arrived at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park on the very day it was closing down for the season. The hotel staff showed them to room 217. They were the only ones in the dining room, surrounded by stacked chairs, with an orchestra playing just for them. King explored the quiet hallways, found a bar with a single bartender named Grady, and then went to bed. That night, he dreamed his three-year-old son was being chased through the hotel by a fire hose. He woke up, lit a cigarette by the window, and by the time he finished it, the entire story for 'The Shining' had formed in his mind. The hotel itself began with a different kind of obsession. F. O. Stanley, who co-invented the Stanley Steamer car, was sent out West in 1903 because doctors thought he would die from tuberculosis. Instead, he recovered completely in the mountain air. So, he built a magnificent Georgian Revival-style hotel right below Longs Peak. It had electricity and he even used his own steam cars to bring guests from the nearest train station. The Stanley Hotel opened in 1909. His wife, Flora, often played the piano in the music room, and even today, staff members say they still hear her music. The hotel's ghost stories started long before Stephen King made it famous, and they continue to this day. Room 217 is supposedly haunted by Elizabeth Wilson, the chief housekeeper, who was injured in an acetylene gas explosion in that very room in 1911. People say her spirit still unpacks luggage for guests and doesn't approve of unmarried couples sharing a room. On the fourth floor, some visitors report hearing children's voices. There's even a story that actor Jim Carrey quickly left room 217 in the middle of the night while filming 'Dumb and Dumber' and never spoke about it.

It's important to remember that the famous 1980 movie version of 'The Shining' directed by Stanley Kubrick was not filmed here. The exterior shots in the movie are actually of the Timberline Lodge in Oregon. However, the Stanley Hotel did host Stephen King’s own TV mini-series adaptation in 1997, which is why the inside of the hotel might feel familiar to you. As a place to stay, the Stanley is genuinely wonderful, not just a tourist trap. It’s a truly grand hotel with amazing mountain views, a whiskey bar, and a good restaurant. If you want to stay in one of the famous rooms like 217, 401, or 428, make sure to book far in advance. The nightly ghost tour is a fun, theatrical experience, but if you're more interested in the real history of the Stanley family, the daytime history tour is better. Then, don't forget your surroundings! Rocky Mountain National Park is just five minutes down the road. In summer, you can drive Trail Ridge Road, which climbs over 3,700 meters. In September, you might hear elk bugling through Estes Park, and by October, snow already covers the peaks. Consider visiting during the shoulder season, when the hotel is quieter and not as full. After all, it was this exact quiet, half-empty condition that gave birth to 'The Shining'.