The Hotel of 'The Shining'

Mountains surround this not-so desolated hotel that is on the outskirts of the town of Estes Park. It’s a calm, quiet evening at the glamourous Stanley Hotel as it shuts down for the night, and guests return to their rooms. All is well inside the hotel as many would think; but, throughout the night, ghostly laughter emits from children running up and down the halls. People come to this hotel year-round to hear the interesting yet haunting history of this hotel. The Stanley Hotel was built on July 4, 1909, in Estes Park, Colorado by F.O Stanley. It was used as a resort spot for the higher class eastern people and for people to stay that were suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. Now, the Stanley Hotel is one of the most popular places to visit in Colorado and was made famous by the well-known author, Stephen King after the hotel inspired King for his idea of the novel, The Shining. The hotel is believed to be haunted by what has been reported by guests and a few apparitions have snuck into tourists' photos. I went to this hotel five years ago and I still remember it to this day. I was only lucky enough to see the outside of the hotel and didn't get the chance to go inside, but after me seeing this hotel, I suddenly became obsessed with Stephen King. I have a whole collection of his books including the book that was inspired by this hotel, The Shining. My interest in The Stanley Hotel all started back from a family vacation up to Colorado and during a horseback ride tour, our guide had made mention of this hotel that it was where Stephen King stayed and got his idea for The Shining. Also, the reports of paranormal happenings have caught my interest. This hotel has caused me to develop an obsession with horror books/ movies and also with the paranormal. The Stanley was said to be haunted before King stayed there. It is said that Stanley’s ghost has shown himself numerous times at the reception desk. His wife, Flora Stanley who was a pianist, can be heard sometimes playing music from the piano. There have been sightings and experiences at the Stanley Hotel that I believe to be true, even though I haven’t been inside the hotel to see for myself. It’s funny because I’ve had a few paranormal experiences myself and all were harmless. A stack of cups fell over my kitchen cupboard when I was home alone. Another time a stall door flew open on its own when I was washing my hands. In the Stanley Hotel, the most haunted room of the entire building is room 217. This is the room that Stephen King stayed in with his wife Tabitha in the year of fall of 1974. King had a nightmare about his son running through the halls of the hotel and being chased by a fire hose that strangled his son to death. After King woke up from this nightmare, he went out to the balcony for a cigarette and by the time he finished his smoke, he had the entire outline for his infamous book, The Shining. When King released the work, The Stanley Hotel’s popularity sky-rocketed and people flooded the place to hear the infamous story of Stephen King’s stay. One day, I hope that I will get the chance to venture back to Colorado to fulfill my dream of touring The Stanley Hotel. Maybe if I stay there a night, I might be able to spark up a chilling horror story of my own just like the king of horror himself did.