The Stanley Hotel

Where to even begin........ I am not a person with huge expectations but when a Hampton Inn is more accommodating and better maintained than this hotel, it is disconcerting. I had specifically called to see how they could accommodate a party of 3 people - me and my daughters. We decided that a room in the Lodge with a king bed and a sofa bed would work. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that first we had to make our own bed and ask for pillows, but the sofa bed was one of those cheap pieces of crap and was falling apart. Shame on a hotel that rakes in cash like there is no end and cannot even produce decent furniture - even in the areas of the Lodge. I was afraid to sit on the furniture on the third and second floors because the legs were clearly broke. Also, I expect some service at any hotel - one being that my is attended. It does not have to be perfect but if you are offering coffee service in the room, then make sure there is coffee in the room. I should not have to chase down coffee at the front desk and get paper cups. Just an overall disappointment. In fact, the people who own and run The Stanley should be embarrassed. You should be attending to your reviews. I have read through many and none are out of line - except maybe the disappointment of not having central air. Look at your grounds. You advertise a pool but it is boarded up. What a shame to have such a gem and not attend to it properly. The only thing that made this stay worth it was the tours and the Seance. All are well done - if not a bit pricey.

Stayed in main hotel. No central air so portable units in rooms were so loud and dirty. Curtains and sheers were so dirty. Mold/mildew on shower tiles. Pillows so hard and uncomfortable. Furniture in lobby area literally falling apart. Antique charm is one thing but ripped up leather couches can be replaced.

The very first contact with the hotel was the young man at the gate. Have never been spoken to like that! We pulled up and said Smith , checking in. He immediately was so rude . Waved his hand and said “ you can’t say that to me! Smith means nothing to me! Are we here for a room? All I do here is check room keys to let guests in, I don’t check people in.” At that moment we almost left . Can’t imagine the hotel would want that type of rudeness to be the first impression guests and visitors experience . Got to our condo to find out condos don’t have AC. It was in the 90’s today . We missed that info when reserving condo . Fans in condo didn’t work , had to get new ones brought over . Think they should make sure people know that ahead of time . Could put up with the no AC , but that young man at the gate was unacceptable .

I stayed in Room 410 with my girlfriend for her birthday—what was supposed to be a special and memorable weekend turned into a complete disaster. Let me be clear: The Stanley Hotel is not just overpriced and outdated—it’s utterly disrespectful to its guests. From the moment we checked in, things went downhill: • The room was stuck at 80°F, hot and uncomfortable all night. • The front desk staff had no clue who the general manager was, and gave me a non-working phone extension when I asked for help. • At lunch, our server Zachariah was visibly annoyed, walked away mid-conversation, had a strong body odor, and physically pushed my arms out of the way with his forearm to drop the check. I have never experienced anything like that from a server in my life. • That night we gave the restaurant a second chance, ordering two $65 bison steaks—they came out blue rare, full of tendons, and inedible. My girlfriend couldn’t even finish hers. It was supposed to be her first “nice” dinner—and it was embarrassing. • I tipped $40 in cash, thinking I was being generous, only to be blindsided by a $245 charge on my card. • It has now been over a week, and not a single person from the hotel has responded to my complaint emails—even after escalating it directly to the GM. This hotel hides behind its historic reputation and haunted lore, but the only real horror here is the complete lack of care or accountability. For what we paid, I expected comfort, professionalism, and class. Instead, I left humiliated and angry. Avoid Room 410. Avoid the restaurant. Avoid this hotel. You are nothing but a transaction to them.

This place is a hollow shell clinging to a reputation it no longer deserves. The rooms are outrageously overpriced for what little you get. There is no maid service, with the excuse being they have not resumed it since COVID, which is hard to take seriously in 2025. There is no room service, no phone in the room to request anything, and the staff seem checked out. The staff carry a hard to explain attitude, an odd mix of indifference and misplaced superiority, as if simply working at what used to be a classy hotel makes up for the current lack of service. It does not. The experience does not match the price, the setting, or the legacy. There is no central air conditioning. Instead you get clunky window units that barely work. When I asked for help, I was told there was no maintenance staff available. That seemed to be the standard response to every issue. The hotel tries to present itself as upscale but it feels more like a faded relic. You can see traces of what it once was but none of it has been preserved or backed up with real hospitality. If you are visiting because of The Shining, lower your expectations. The movie was not filmed here and there is no eerie charm. Just a gift shop and a few generic references. This is a tired tourist trap charging luxury rates while offering minimal service. You are better off at one of the nearby lodges where people actually care about your experience.