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The Haunted Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs

For the amateur paranormal investigator and horror fan, if asked about haunted hotels in Colorado, The Haunted Stanley Hotel immediately comes to mind, thanks in large part, to the terrifying film, The Shining.  But, nestled just southwest, inside Colorado Springs, Colorado, lies another spooky haunted hotel for weary travelers, The Broadmoor Hotel.

History of the Haunted Broadmore Hotel

In 1890, a wealthy Prussian Count, by the name of James Pourtales ventured out West to carve out an appealing parcel of land that could be used to cater to the ever-increasing upper class of Colorado. This is mostly thanks in large part to the ever-burgeoning prospector business. Over twenty-four hundred acres were set aside by Cheyenne lake, with minor amounts of housing and business, but primarily a casino built by Count Pourtales himself.  A smaller amount of time passed before the casino mysteriously burned down in 1897, but within a year, another was built over top of it, along with the hotel.

Spencer and Julie Penrose

Along the way, the Count developed a partnership with another business couple, Spencer and Julie Penrose.  As time passed, Julie frequently stayed at the hotel’s penthouse while her husband was away on business.  Spencer passed in 1939, but Julie lived on until 1956.  In a much undiscovered and unpublicized event, a week prior to her death, Julie supposedly went missing in a heavily wooded area by the lake.  She was found unrobed, shaking, and not fully aware of how she had gotten there or where she’d been.  Seven days later, she passed away.

Who haunts the Broadmoor Hotel?

Hospitality staff at the Broadmoor, notes that chief among activity in the hotel is the penthouse, the exact same one that Julie Penrose stayed in all those years.  Lights turning on and off, deep cold spots and objects moving on their own are the principal reports.  Other times, guests who stay in the penthouse report being watched in their own rooms and feelings of dread.  One guest reported having awoken in the night to have the covers peeled back and the feeling of someone dragging them by their foot out of the bed!

The staff notes that a woman in a period 1930s dress has been seen floating down the hallways and up the front staircases at night, which suggests that the ghost is indeed Julie Penrose.  There have been cases of multiple spirits being seen in the penthouse floor area, guess it must be more than Julie Penrose haunting the Broadmoor.  The most conclusive ending is that spirits of the victims from the casino fire of 1897 somehow still inhabit the building and haunt it along with Julie Penrose.  But despite the uneasiness, the penthouse is still quite available to stay in today and the Broadmoor is quite successful just as Count Pourtales would have wanted.

The Shining Hotel – AKA The Stanley Hotel

It takes a lot to scare legendary horror author Stephen King, but years ago his visit to the Stanley Hotel rattled his nerves enough to wake him in the middle of the night.  That’s when he began to conceive his masterpiece, The Shining. King’s experience at Colorado’s landmark Stanley Hotel served as the inspiration for the book which has many people dubbing it The Shining Hotel.

History of The Stanley Hotel

Built at the turn of the 20th century, the hotel was the brainchild of Freelan Oscar Stanley. After receiving a diagnosis of tuberculosis, Stanley’s doctor recommended that he travel west and get away from the city. He and his wife enjoyed Estes Park so much that he decided to build a hotel and hoped it would attract similar tuberculosis patients and those suffering from other medical conditions. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Stanley Hotel is easily one of the most haunted places in the country and maybe the world.

There are so many ghosts haunting the hotel that it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. Former owner Stanley and his wife occasionally make appearances on the main staircase, but others spotted them in the billiard room and lobby. They typically appear dressed in old-fashioned clothing dating back to the 1910s or 1920s. Others spotted the dapper man in the main offices.

Hauntings of the Stanley Hotel

Several rooms in the hotel are haunted as well. An older man, who many believe is the original owner of the land where the hotel sits, haunts room 407. Guests report smelling the scent of his pipe in the room, and visitors sometimes see his face staring back at them from the window. The ghost of Elizabeth Wilson haunts room 207. The young housekeeper died when a spark ignited a pocket of gas. Guests report seeing doors and windows open and close and seeing lights flickering.

Stanley Hotel Room 217

Other guests found themselves complaining about children running loose when there were no kids staying at the hotel. King himself heard kids laughing and playing in the hallway outside his room, but when he called the front desk, he discovered he and his wife were the only guests staying on that floor. Guests will sometimes hear tricycles racing through the halls, balls bouncing against their doors or the walls of the hallway and kids laughing and running. Those sounds led to more than one guest checking out in the middle of the night. While there are other haunted hotels in the U.S., few can beat the ghosts of the Stanley.

Haunted Rooms of the Stanley Hotel

• Room 401 is said to be the most haunted room in the house.
• Stephen King stayed in room 217, which is the focus haunted room in The Shining novel.
• Stanley Kubrick’s Shining infamously changed the haunted room in the movie to room 237.
• Room 407 is haunted by an older man smoking a pipe.
• Room 207 is haunted by the ghost of Elizabeth Wilson.

Story of the Stanley Hotel &amp: Stephen King

@frightfind Quick history of the Stanley Hotel! #fyp #frightfind #scary #spooky ♬ original sound – FrightFind