The Stanley Hotel

We had a great time, and the hotel was lovely, but there was construction in every corner of where we were at. Still, we enjoyed our stay, and the construction crew did an admirable job of cleaning up the dust and being conscientious and helpful.

My husband and I are Colorado natives and have always wanted to stay in the Stanley Hotel. Overall, it was a disappointingly average experience. Some things went well and others not so much. We arrived last Saturday afternoon around 1:30 pm. The front parking lot was jammed with vehicles and there were people everywhere. We were not sure if we could check in or not so we headed for the front desk. We had believed that our reservation was for the actual Stanley Hotel; however, we were informed at check in that we were “upgraded� to a suite at the Aspire Residences. The staff at the desk in the Stanley was friendly and efficient. After checking we made our way car and then on to the Aspire. At the Aspire, we were greeted by Heather, the innkeeper and shown to the elevator. On the second floor we located our room near the elevator and went inside. The suite was large, long and narrow. It contained a foyer, a large bathroom, a bedroom, a closet with a stackable washer/dryer, and a small kitchen with a couch. It was relatively clean although the carpet next to the bed did not appear to have been vacuumed. The furnishings were nice and the room looked fairly new; no carpet spots, floor chips, scratched walls or chipped wall corners. This probably because the Aspire was built in 2016. The bed and pillows were soft and very comfortable. The bed, however, was difficult to get into because it was so tall. The mattress was on a full box spring on top of the bed frame. The room was not be very quiet because we heard people walking around in the suite above us. We also heard people going back and forth in the hallway talking and laughing. The kitchen contained a full size range with a glass cook top, a microwave, a Nespresso, a dishwasher and a small refrigerator that was bigger that a dorm size but smaller than a full size. There were various pots, pans, and kitchen utensils that would have allowed you to cook a decent meal. Not fancy, but adequate. The suite contained dish soap, dishwasher soap, laundry soap, fabric softener, shampoo, body soap, and lotion. The bathroom was well lit and stocked with several towels. The bathroom had a shower with a glass wall and no tub. The glass wall was fairly clean, too. The shower head was a “rain� type and did not have a lot of pressure. The shower door did not do a very good job of keeping the water in the shower. The towels were decent although each towel had several snags in them. The hair dryer seemed underpowered and old because it was mostly heat with little “blow� to it. There were 2 large TVs in the suite; one at the end of the bed and one in front of the couch in the kitchen. Each TV had a remote, but we were unable to get the TV in the kitchen to work. We called the front desk (Heather) and told her about the problem. She said that maintenance would stop by to fix the problem. We went out for dinner and spoke with Heather on the way out. When we returned to the room, we were not able to locate the second remote and the kitchen TV was still not working. We were not able to reach Heather so we contacted the front desk at the Stanley to find out what was going on. The gentleman said he would find out and let us know. Heather called a few minutes later to explain that there was a problem with the Direct TV that could not be fixed. My husband wanted to know why no one had left a note or called us to tell us what the resolution to the problem was. We were frustrated because the maintenance person simply took the second remote and we had to track down an explanation. Overall, it was not a horrible stay. I was disappointed to not stay in the actual Stanley hotel. The “upgrade� was not worth it. The bed was great, but the communication was lacking. We will not return to this hotel.

First of all, if you plan on coming to Estes park and want to see the Stanley, you have to do the tour. Its $20 per person for a 90 min tour and its worth every penny. There is a fascinating history with some interesting surprises with the Stanley family. The hotel itself has some interesting history and many claim that its haunted. We had 5 children in the group, and they were captivated with Lily (Lillian) our tour guide. She has an excellent speaking voice and shared an incredible amount of information in the 90 min. The kids were talking about the tour for days!! The tour starts out with a little film with Scary Mary, who is cheesy, but its entertaining! The tour ends in the tunnel, which was a surprise and there was some interesting facts down there. We loved it. The history of the hotel is what makes it so unique and interesting, so that is why you have to do the tour!! One of the favorite tours I have ever done.

My daughter and I spent two nights here for a mother/daughter get away. We had wanted to stay at the Stanley for quite some time and this was our opportunity. The staff were wonderful and very professional and helpful. When we arrived we were originally in a room on the second floor facing the back. We asked for a mountain view if possible and were given a room on the fourth floor facing the mountains. It was gorgeous. The building is stately and has much history. The room was comfortable and the bathroom was spacious. Being on the top of an historic hotel, it was nice to have a ceiling fan to leave on to keep the room a comfortable temperature. We purchased the bed and breakfast package and the food was amazing. The restaurant on site has a wide variety of entrees to choose from and the whiskey bar offers everything one might want in the way of adult beverages. The wait staff were friendly and attentive as well. We would recommend one or more of the tours. We took the spirited tour and it was very informative. We also saw the Illusionist show and he was fantastic. My daughter and I are open to the spirit world and we did have interactions, got some photos and voice recordings. Please note, there were no deaths or murders at this hotel. That is Hollywood make believe. The feeling in the hotel is one of history and welcome. The Stanley is in walking distance of the town of Estes Park which offers many places to shop and eat. There is also a local brewery. The front porch is a great place for an evening cocktail while watching the sky at sunset. We are planning on making this our annual spot for our time together.

Stayed in the Lodge building next door to the Main Hotel. King sized bed took most of the space of the room. Not much room to move around. The hotel itself is beautiful, full of old ornate wood molding and decorated in a lovely relaxed style. The main building and the parking lot are under construction at the moment. It's a historic hotel so there is no Airconditioning anywhere. Stayed one night in mid-April and our room was over 80 so the windows were wide open to cool it down. Didn't think it would be an issue that early in the spring and at that elevation but it got pretty warm in the entire hotel. Only slept with a sheet on. No need for a comforter. Free breakfast included the next morning but just pastries and some fruit. We ended up going into Estes Park for real food. Guess our expectations were set too high. We stayed one night and that's enough. Been there, done that. Won't ever go back. Side note - the whole layout is not what Id call handicapped friendly. Parking lots are far from the building and you haul your suitcases up steps and into side doors.