Stanley Hotel

A subterranean theater beneath The Post is entered through a hidden bookcase.

My experience: Has attended more than 10 Underground performances by recollection, including Aiden and guest performers.

Ty’s take: Aiden is amazing, but his guest performers can also be world-class.

Find the bookcase and experience an Underground performance.

217 Wine Bar occupies the historic Music Room; it is not Room 217.

My experience: I’ve visited the 217 Wine Bar and know the historic Music Room.

Ty’s take: Don’t confuse the 217 Wine Bar with guest Room 217 — they’re completely different places in the hotel.

Visit 217 Wine Bar and pay attention to the historic Music Room details. Especially look at the hanging lighted violins.

The Music Room/217 Wine Bar features hanging illuminated violins.

My experience: Ty specifically noticed the hanging lighted violins.

Look up at the violins instead of only looking around the bar.

The Stanley Concert Hall is a separate building from the historic Music Room in the main hotel.

My experience: Ty has personally been inside and beneath the stage.

Ty’s take: Important to keep Concert Hall and Music Room stories separate.

Explore the Concert Hall as its own Stanley experience.

The Stanley Hotel is a historic hotel and entertainment destination in Estes Park, opened in 1909 by F.O. Stanley.

Go inside and explore the public areas even if you are not a hotel guest.

The Stanley is more than a hotel. Visitors can experience historic areas, tours, restaurants and bars, entertainment and other attractions on the property.

Don’t just take a picture from the front and leave. Go inside and explore.

A quick look at the Stanley can be short, but the property can easily become a much longer stop if you explore, eat, take a tour or attend a performance.

My experience: I’ve spent enough time at the Stanley to know there is much more to it than walking through the lobby.

Allow more time than you think if this is your first visit.

You can experience a significant part of the Stanley without booking a hotel room.

My experience: I’ve visited the Stanley many times without staying overnight.

Even if you’re staying somewhere else in Estes Park, I think the Stanley is worth visiting.

The Shining connection is only one layer of the Stanley’s story. F.O. Stanley, steam cars, early Estes Park tourism, entertainment and the hotel’s modern attractions give visitors much more to discover.

Ty’s take: The history of the Stanley is one of the reasons I find the property so interesting.

Go for The Shining connection if that interests you, but look beyond it while you’re there.

The Stanley rewards visitors who slow down and notice details rather than simply walking through the lobby.

My experience: I’ve found that some of the most interesting Stanley details are things you can easily walk right past.

Look at the architecture, old photographs, displays, artwork and unusual details throughout the property.

Stephen King’s novel uses Room 217; Kubrick’s movie uses Room 237.

Why it’s interesting: One of the most recognizable Stanley/Shining connections.

See Room 217 and know why the movie number is different.

F.O. Stanley made violins and was a musician.

Why it’s interesting: Visitors primarily know him for cars and the hotel.

Connect the Music Room/violins with another side of F.O. Stanley.

A black bear entered the Stanley lobby in 2018 and was captured on security video.

Why it’s interesting: Funny and very Estes Park: ghosts aren’t the only unexpected Stanley visitors.

Look at the lobby and imagine a bear wandering through it.

The Stanley was used as a filming location in the 1994 movie Dumb and Dumber.

Why it’s interesting: Many visitors know the Shining connection but overlook another famous movie connection.

Ty’s take: The Man Walks on the Moon gag is an especially fun connection.

Look for Stanley locations recognizable from Dumb and Dumber.

Freelan Oscar Stanley had an identical twin brother, Francis Edgar Stanley; the brothers were inventors and business partners.

Why it’s interesting: Many visitors assume Stanley refers to one man.

Know that the Stanley story started with twin brothers.

A Stanley steam car driven by Fred Marriott covered a flying mile in 28.2 seconds in 1906, approximately 127.66 mph.

Why it’s interesting: Astonishing speed for a steam automobile more than a century ago.

Ty’s take: Nearly 128 mph in 1906 is a number people will remember.

Connect the hotel founders to extraordinary early automobile technology.

The 1906 speed was calculated by timing the Stanley over a measured flying mile; 28.2 seconds works out to about 127.66 mph.

Why it’s interesting: Answers the natural question of how speed was measured before radar.

Ty’s take: The measurement method makes the record even more interesting.

Use the measured-mile story alongside the speed record.

F.O. Stanley came to Colorado after being diagnosed with tuberculosis; his health improved in Estes Park.

Why it’s interesting: He didn’t originally come to Estes to build a hotel.

Understand why Stanley ended up in Estes Park in the first place.

The Stanley opened with unusually modern amenities for a remote mountain resort, including electricity.

Why it’s interesting: Shows that the hotel was high-tech luxury rather than old-fashioned when new.

Imagine what these amenities meant to a 1909 visitor.

John Cullen acquired the bankrupt Stanley in 1995 for $3.14 million; published accounts say the pi-inspired amount was intentional.

Why it’s interesting: The hotel that became enormously valuable was once bankrupt.

Ty’s take: One of the Stanley’s best modern business stories.

Understand how close the Stanley came to a very different future.

The modern Stanley transaction/development is backed by roughly $395-$400 million in financing.

Why it’s interesting: The scale contrasts dramatically with Cullen’s $3.14M 1995 acquisition.

Ty’s take: Shows just how dramatically the property has changed.

Understand the scale of the Stanley’s transformation.

The Stanley was originally designed/operated as a seasonal summer resort and lacked central heat.

Why it’s interesting: Explains an important difference between the original Stanley and today’s year-round hotel.

Imagine staying here when Estes tourism was overwhelmingly seasonal.

Stephen and Tabitha King’s nearly empty Stanley stay in 1974 helped inspire The Shining.

Why it’s interesting: This is the foundational Stanley/Shining story.

Know the story before walking the Stanley’s hallways.

Bredo Morstøl, whose cryonically preserved body inspired Frozen Dead Guy Days, was moved to a facility associated with the Stanley in Estes Park.

Why it’s interesting: One of the strangest modern Stanley stories.

Ty’s take: Too unusual not to include as Trivia.

Learn why there’s a frozen Norwegian connected to the Stanley.

Stayed in Room 219. Heard furniture-like movement during the night and saw what appeared to be corresponding shadows under the door. Eventually opened the door and found an empty hallway. Front desk said the experience was common.

My thoughts: I don’t claim to know what caused it. I know what I heard and what I found when I opened the door.

Stay near 217 and know the history surrounding this part of the hotel.

Major development includes new guest rooms and a major film/entertainment center.

Why it matters: The Stanley is entering another major chapter rather than remaining only a historic hotel.

Ty’s take: Visitors should know how dramatically the Stanley campus is changing.

See what’s being built and understand what is coming.

The Stanley Film Center development includes horror-related programming/experiences and cinema infrastructure.

Why it matters: Builds directly on the Stanley’s unusual place in horror culture.

Ty’s take: This could completely change what a Stanley visit includes.

Follow the development and experience it when opened.