New Orleans, Salem and Chicago top the list
Written by Alejandra Roca on October 5, 2017
Check out the whole story here: 13 Cities That Will Scare You Silly This Halloween
The Odd Blog – My Spooky Experience At Stanley Hotel’s Room 217 – by Kirin Johnson
My Spooky Experience At Stanley Hotel’s Room 217
When I wrote about my experience at the Stanley Hotel history and ghost tour, I was quite skeptical regarding the existence of actual spirits. While I did feel intense energy in certain parts of the hotel, it wasn’t enough to convince me. However, on Memorial weekend of 2017, I made reservations to stay the night. I chose the most famous room of them all — room 217. This is the room where horror author Stephen King once stayed. His adventure at the Stanley inspired him to write his famous horror novel called The Shining.
Experiences that occurred during my stay has fully convinced me that ghosts are real entities.
Reported Ghost Activity
Over the years, there have been many reports of ghost activity occurring in room 217. Some guests say they leave the room and when they come back, they find their luggage somehow unpacked. There are others who claim to have seen shadows passing through walls. In addition to these claims, there are other bizarre and unexplained experiences reported.
Many believe that the activity comes caused by a woman named Elizabeth Wilson. She was the first maid employee at the Stanley. In the early 1900’s, she was involved in a very serious accident while she was working in room 217. A gas leak lead to an explosion, which caused her to fall through the floor. Fortunately, the mishap had only caused moderate injuries.
Ms. Wilson died in the 1950’s. However, according to reports, she occasionally visits room 217.
Three Paranormal Experiences In Room 217
After my partner and I had arrived at the hotel room, we decided not to unpack any of our luggage. Instead, we left room in hopes that we might come back and find our luggage unpacked. However, when we came back to our room, there was nothing out of place.
What We Thought Was A Cart By Our Door: Occurred Around 8:00 p.m.
After staying in for a while, we decided to head back out and grab a couple of things from the grocery store. Then we came back to the room and chose to stay in for the night. The time was around 8:00 p.m. when out of nowhere was what clearly sounded like a cart right outside of our door. The noise prompted my partner to instantly go and check the peephole to see exactly who or what was out there. What was quite shocking is that there was no one there.
If my partner didn’t immediately look through the peephole, I would have thought that someone must have came to a nearby room and walked in. He could have easily missed seeing them come by. However, this wasn’t the case. Of course, this experience was a rather unusual one. However, it wasn’t something that could easily turn a skeptic into a believer.
Reaching Out To Ms. Wilson
It was about 11:00 p.m. when we thought it would be a good idea to actually reach out to the spirit of Ms. Wilson. Other than the sounds of an invisible cart that was outside of our room, there was nothing that could make me fully convinced that Ms. Wilson, nor any other ghost actually exists. Our luggage was never unpacked, and we didn’t see any shadows passing through the walls. We gave it one last shot before we went to sleep. In an attempt to reach Ms. Wilson, I said to her: “If you are really here with us, prove it.”
A Loud Noise In The Middle Of The Night: Occurred Around 2:30 a.m.
The most profound experience of the night happened at around 2:30 a.m. While we were both asleep, we were woken up by an extraordinary loud noise. If I were to describe the noise, it was almost as if someone had taken an enormous object, and then slammed it to the floor with extreme force. What’s even more odd is that in addition to my partner and I, there were other hotel guests near our room who also woke up from the noise. The reason I am so confident in saying it was the noise that had woken them up is because a couple of moments after my partner and I woke up, we heard people whispering and talking to each other.
An Explanation For The Noise?
The next morning after a long and creepy night, I woke up and noticed that there was my partner’s 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew on the floor. I asked myself: “How could this bottle have fallen to the floor in the middle of the night?” Besides just our shoes and luggage, there was nothing else was on the floor. Of course, the bigger question was how the bottle could have caused such a loud noise capable of waking up several people at the hotel. The only answer I could come up with is that it had to have been a ghost, or perhaps Ms. Wilson herself.
The Guests Who Heard The Loud Noise
As we were getting ready to check out and leave the Stanley, I overheard a conversation between people that were near our room. I was curious to hear what they were actually talking about. What they were discussing was a loud noise that they heard late the previous night. Of course, I didn’t hesitate to quickly come out of the room and find out if the noise that they were talking about was the same noise that was so loud, it woke up me, my partner and others.
Below is information on the three guests who heard the incredibly loud noise in the middle of the night. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to actually speak with two of them.
Guest #1
One guest stayed in a room directly above ours. She said she was woken up by a loud noise at around 2:30 a.m., which she reported as the sound of a “large barrel” that had hit something.
Guest #2
Although I did not get the chance to directly speak to guest #2, according to guest #1, she stayed in room 324. I was shocked to hear that she also had heard the loud noise.
Guest #3
While my partner and I were about to leave the hotel, there was a young man who wanted to talk to us about a few things. He first told us he stayed the night with his father in room 326.
Besides mentioning that he took some images of orbs, which he said were actually floating outside of room 217, he had something even more interesting to share with us. He said he woke up some time in the middle of the night from what he described as a “loud boom.”
A Woman Who Giggled At Me: Occurred Around 4:00 a.m.
The time was approximately 4:00 a.m. when I woke up again. However, this time it was very quiet and my partner appeared to be in a deep sleep. It was just a minute or two later when I heard this creepy chuckle that sounded like a woman who was laying right next to me. This was yet another paranormal experience that confirmed my belief that ghosts actually exist.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my paranormal experience that occurred at the Stanley Hotel in room 217. While many might believe that what I experienced that night was nothing but a little trick that my mind was playing on me, the fact is that they were not there. In addition to the sounds of the trolley and the woman’s bizarre giggle, no one can explain the loud noise that caused my partner and I, plus others to wake up in the middle of the night.
If you ever get a chance to visit the Stanley Hotel, at the very least, you will want to check out their fascinating history and ghost tour. If you plan on staying the night, there are several rooms that are known for being haunted. You may want to make your first choice —room 217.
Read the full story on OdditiesBizarre. The names of the guests who heard the noise, as well as a direct comment from one of them can be found in the full story.
The Odd Blog – A Tour Through The Stanley Hotel – by Kirin Johnson
A Tour Through The Stanley Hotel
When you think of The Stanley Hotel, you probably think of the movie The Shining. In addition to being a tourist attraction, it is also a place where paranormal investigators hunt for signs of paranormal activity. Many believe The Stanley Hotel is haunted with spirits of deceased visitors, employees and owners, Freelan Oscar and Flora Stanley. The high number of reported ghost sightings convinced horror author Stephen King to stay over night. The next morning, he already had the outline for his successful horror novel The Shining.
Freelan Oscar Stanley (June 1, 1849 – October 2, 1940) was an inventor, businessman and the man who built The Stanley Hotel. The gorgeous 420-room hotel opened on July 4, 1909. Although it was originally catered to the rich and famous, today it is open to the public.
Stanley History & Ghost Tour
On March 2, 2017, I took my first tour through The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO. Before all the fun started, our tour guide stressed that she doesn’t like to refer to the deceased as “ghosts.” She said that she likes referring to them as “intelligent spirits,” or “orbs.”
When it comes to the belief in spirits, I have been a skeptic all of my life. Regardless of my skepticism, I came to this tour with an open mind. After we viewed an interesting video on claims of supernatural activity at The Stanley, it was time to take a tour through one of the most haunted hotels in America.
Before I went to the second floor of the hotel, I passed by the ballroom. Due to an event that was about to take place, I could not go in. I really wanted to take a look because there have been many reported ghost sightings of Flora Stanley continuously playing the piano in the ballroom. Well, at least I was able to get an image (below) from the outside of the room.
The Vortex
The “vortex” is what they call the two staircases that are located on each side of the hotel. Both staircases wrap around as they connect to all four floors. It is reported that the energy from the Earth, along with energy from supernatural forces within the hotel, create a powerful surge of energy that you can feel with your hand.
We were encouraged to take many pictures while looking up from the 1st floor, as well as when we were on the 4th floor looking down. It was reported that many people have witnessed what appears to be spirits, usually children.
In addition to the sounds of children playing, balls bouncing, toilets flushing, doors slamming and Flora playing the piano, long-term employees of The Stanley have reported sightings of four specific spirits that roam the hotel on a regular basis. They have seen the spirits roaming the halls and some of the rooms.
The Four Spirits
Paul
Paul was an employee at the hotel from 1995-2005. A heart attack took his life while he was on his way to the emergency room. Paul was the man who was responsible for enforcing an 11 p.m. curfew for the hotel. There are claims of Paul telling guests to “get out” when it’s past curfew.
Eddie
When Eddie first started haunting The Stanley Hotel a few years ago, his presence was said to bring an unpleasant odor. Hence, the smell eventually earned him the nickname “Stinky Man.” Since Eddie didn’t like his nickname, he chose to later release a smell that was much more pleasant than before. Perhaps the other reason he wanted to smell much better was because he wanted to impress the women who come and visit the hotel. In addition to being known as the “resident prankster,” Eddie is also a ladies’ man. Based on various claims from hotel visitors, he has been known to kiss the cheeks and stroke the hair of female guests.
Eddie’s spirit at the hotel remains a mystery. He has no connections to the hotel property.
Lucy
Lucy is another spirit with no known connection to The Stanley. Her hangout area in the hotel is the Concert Hall. Lucy likes humming and communicating with staff and parapsychologists using flashlights. There has been speculation that she may have been a runaway or homeless woman who used the hotel for a place to stay.
Elizabeth Wilson: A Visitor In Room 217
Elizabeth Wilson was the chief housekeeper at The Stanley Hotel. In the summer of 1911, she was in a serious accident. While she was lighting acetylene lanterns in room 217, there was a gas leak. The leak lead to an explosion that sent her through the floor. She was buried under two floors of rubble. Luckily, Wilson survived and was found with just two broken ankles.
Although Wilson died in the 1950s, many reports from guests suggest that her spirit comes and stops by room 217. If you ever stay in this room, make sure you keep track of your belongings. According to guests who have visited this room, they have claimed to have had their luggage unpacked, their items moved around the room and the lights turned on and off. There have also been reports of unmarried couples experiencing a force between them when laying in bed (assuming something is attempting to keep them apart).
Even me being a skeptic, I must admit that during the tour of the hotel, the closer I got to room 217, the more intense the energy felt. Although I have yet to stay a night in this particular room, it would be quite interesting to see what kind of paranormal experience I might have.
Stephen King’s Experience In Room 217
Even Stephen King stayed a night in room 217. There were no children in the building at the time. However, according to the official website for The Stanley Hotel, King encountered a child. The sighting left him spooked.
Jim Carrey’s Experience In Room 217
While filming the movie Dumb and Dumber, Jim Carrey decided to stay the night in room 217. According to our tour guide, all it took was a few hours for him to become beyond spooked.
Carrey chose to leave the hotel, demanding to get a room elsewhere immediately. He was said to be so scared, he did not want to be left alone. To this day, Carrey has yet to explain what he experienced while he was alone in room 217.
Room 428 : Home To An Elusive Cowboy
Interestingly, one ghost that is not mentioned on The Stanley Hotel website is the spirit in room 428. The tour guide said there are reports of a shadow figure wearing a cowboy hat in this particular room.
The man is said to only appear just before guests fall asleep. Whenever one attempts to take a picture of him, he immediately vanishes. The weird thing is that no one knows who this ghost is, or where he came from. Whenever paranormal investigators visit room 428, the cowboy never appears.
If you ever take a trip to Estes Park, Colorado, you will want to pay a visit to The Stanley Hotel. Whether you stay the night, or simply stop by and take a guided Ghost Tour, you don’t want to miss out on this exciting adventure. With all of its fascinating history and reported paranormal activity, it is one experience you will never forget. Despite having to book in advance, I know that on my first night at The Stanley Hotel, I will be staying in room 217.