Is this the world’s most haunted hotel?
When Stephen King visited this boutique hotel, located in Estes Park, Colorado, in 1974 he had a spooky dream that inspired his book, The Shining.
Even though the 1980 film version of The Shining starring Jack Nicholson was filmed at a separate location, since Stephen King’s novel made the hotel famous it has welcomed many guests looking for a luxury stay with a supernatural vibe.
Incorporating eerie features such as an in-house physic, flickering lights, unexplained chills, regular ghost tours and playing the movie on hotel televisions on a constant loop, this hotel has become the stuff of legend and is said to be haunted by children. However, many guests attracted by the hotel’s famous history have bemoaned the lack of some of the key features from the film and book, such as the iconic hedge maze where Jack Nicholson’s character famously chased his fictional son Danny through the snow. They needn’t complain any longer.
To celebrate The Stanley Hotel’s 20th year anniversary, owner John W. Cullen decided to enhance they hotel’s mysterious vibe by decided to construct his own version of the iconic maze.
“People kept on looking for the maze,” said Mr Cullen, speaking with The New York Times. “People want an experience. They want to reinterpret it and tell all their friends about it.”
With 329 submissions from around the world to design the maze, Mr Cullen and an esteemed panel of judges eventually chose a design from New York architect Mairim Dallaryan Standing.
“I was up until one in the morning every day, designing and drawing and sketching and trying to make it work mathematically before I submitted it,” Ms Standing said of being chosen.
Completed in June this year, hotel employee Midge Knerr told the The New York Times the final design strikes the right line between elegant and intriguing.
Even without the allure of the obvious movie tie-ins, this secluded, boutique hotel provides a luxurious gateway to The Rocky Mountains and a tempting stay for anyone visiting Colorado.
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