A haunted night at Stanley Hotel's Room 217
Posted on Saturday, 12 August, 2017 | 2 comments
Columnist: Kirin Johnson
In March of 2017, I took a history and ghost tour at the Stanley Hotel. While I did not see or interact with any spirits, I felt intense energy in many areas of the hotel. I also caught some images of orbs with my cell phone. Despite the orbs and intense energy, I left the hotel a skeptic. However, I wanted to come back and stay the night so I could experience more ghost activity. Perhaps the activity would be enough to convince me that ghosts truly do exist.
The Most Haunted Room At The Stanley
On Memorial Day weekend of 2017, my partner and I stayed the night at the Stanley Hotel. Out of all the 420 available rooms, I picked room 217. This is the most well-known room on the property. Back in the 70's, Stephen King stayed the night in this particular room. His night at the hotel had inspired King to write his 1977 horror novel and bestseller called The Shining.
Comedian Jim Carrey also visited room 217 while he was in the process of filming the 1994 comedy film Dumb and Dumber. Rumor has it that Carrey actually didn't stay the entire night. He left the hotel quite terrified due to an experience that he has yet to share with the public.
The Ghost Of Ms. Wilson
In addition to the famous who have visited room 217, it is also popular for the many reported ghost sightings. Many believe that the this room is haunted by the spirit of Elizabeth Wilson.
Ms. Wilson was a housekeeper in the early days of the Stanley. In the summer of 1911, Wilson was involved in a very serious accident. In the middle of lighting acetylene lanterns while in room 217, there was a gas leak, which caused an explosion sending her through the floor. Luckily, she survived the accident and eventually passed away in the 1950's.
Although Wilson has been dead for many years, her spirit is said to occasionally roam around especially in room 217. Guests have reported a variety of bizarre experiences while staying the night. Reports include guests who have their luggage mysteriously being unpacked, shoes that are lined up neatly on the end of their bed, and other strange and unexplained experiences.
The Three Things That Made Me A Believer In Ghosts
The Cart That Was Never There: Approximately 8:00 P.M.
Tourists from around the world will come to the Stanley just to take a history and ghost tour of the property. One stop they will always come to is of course — room 217. Groups will come near the room to capture images, and also to seek out any signs of any supernatural activity.
It was around 8:00 p.m. when we unexpectedly heard the sounds of a possible cart that was outside of our door. Instead of just ignoring it and assuming it was nothing other than hotel staff by our room, or an adjacent room, my partner quickly looked through the peephole. Surprisingly, there was not a single person in sight. While we knew it was odd that there was no one around, we chose to move on and wait to see if something significant would happen.
An Attempt To Contact Ms. Wilson
Before we decided to go to sleep (at around 11:00 p.m.), we thought that it wouldn't hurt to reach out to the ghost of Ms. Wilson. Therefore, we might increase the chances of getting a possible response from her. I repeatedly said to the deceased woman: “If you are really here with us, prove it.” Shortly after I had reached out to her, we both fell asleep.
An Extremely Loud And Sudden Bang: Approximately 2:30 A.M.
The time was about 2:30 a.m. when my partner and I were sleeping, and then abruptly woke up from a very loud noise. The noise was so loud, one would think that it had came from someone who grabbed a large and heavy object, and then forcefully slammed it to the floor.
In addition to my partner and I, there were also other guests near our room who woke up from the loud bang. The reason I believe it was the bang that woke them up is that just a couple of moments after we were woken up, we heard people talking and whispering.
The loud bang was by far — the strangest and scariest experience of the night.
An Unexpected Find The Next Morning
Just when I thought things couldn't get more strange, I woke up the next morning and noticed that there was a 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew on the floor. To say the least, I was quite puzzled by what I saw. Of all things, it was my partners soda that had caused the loud bang.
Of course, the soda was a very poor explanation for a noise capable of waking up my partner and I, as well as others at the hotel. I realized that there had to have been a better explanation. I believe it was the response of the ghost I reached out to the previous night.
Interviewing Hotel Guests Who Woke Up From A Loud Noise
While we were getting ready to check out of our room, I overheard a discussion regarding a loud noise that had occurred late that night. The conversation prompted me to come out of our room to find out exactly what they were actually referring to.
I spoke with a woman who had stayed in a room that was above room 217. I immediately asked her what she was referring to when she said "loud noise." She said she heard a noise that had woken her up at approximately 2:30 in the morning. The woman had described the noise as the sounds of a "large barrel" that hit something. Interestingly, she also mentioned another woman who stayed in room 324 and also heard the loud noise.
On our way to the check-out desk, there was a young man who wanted to speak with us. He said him and his father had stayed in room 326 that night. The man said that late in the night, he had taken some images which contained orbs floating outside of our room. He also mentioned hearing a "loud boom" that had woke him up in the middle of the night.
A Woman's Eerie Giggle: Approximately 4:00 A.M.
It was around 4:00 a.m. when I woke up and saw my partner sleeping. Despite the loud bang that had woken up several people not even 2 hours before, it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. That is, until a minute or two later when I heard an unexpected chuckle that sounded like a woman. It was so close, if felt like she was within just a centimeter or two of my face. I must admit that the chuckle really creeped me out. However, it wasn't as terrifying as the big bang that I had heard earlier. After hearing the woman's giggle, I fell back asleep.
My Final Thoughts
Now that I have finally stayed the night in room 217, I am definitely interested in visiting some more haunted rooms at the Stanley in the future. Perhaps I will get lucky and catch some supernatural activity on video. With decades of claims of ghost activity, there are bound to be many more fascinating stories from others who have visited the Stanley Hotel.
If there was just one thing that I gained from this stay, it is my changed belief in the existence of ghosts. I am no longer a skeptic who dismisses reported sightings. Now that I believe in the supernatural, in addition to visiting more rooms at the Stanley, I will also explore other haunted places around the world. Hopefully there will be more paranormal experiences to come.
Source: OdditiesBizarre.com (
http://odditiesbizarre.com/stanley-hotel-room-217-a-paranormal-experience-that-turned-a-skeptic-into-a-believer/ )
