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About Us

The Stanley Hotel, known for its architecture, magnificent setting and famous visitors, may possibly be best known today for its inspirational role in Stephen King's novel, "The Shining". The hotel has been featured as one of America's most haunted hotels and with the numerous stories from visitors and staff, The Stanley Hotel continues to "shine" today, as it did in 1909 when first opened.

Forced by poor health to move West, F.O. Stanley and his famous Steamer arrived in Estes Park in 1903. Finding the town lacking in amenities, F.O. set out to change the local economy. On the 160 acres he purchased from Lord Dunraven, Stanley first built the main building of the hotel, one of 11 buildings in the original complex. Many of those original buildings remain in use today on the remaining 55 acres.

Where the ice pond, water reservoir and 9-hole golf course once stood, you may now see a lone coyote or a grazing herd of elk. Construction of the Main Building began in 1907 and took two years to complete. It was built with steel support beams and timber cut from land now known as Rocky Mountain National Park. Most of the timber came from the Bear Lake burn in 1900, which may account for the faint smell of wood smoke that can be detected on a warm, summer day.