Ghost Hunting at The Stanley Hotel

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

I think it's safe to say that mankind's love affair with the ghost is still going strong in this day and age. Despite our technological advances and desire for truth, there is still a fair part of us that believe in the unknown, if only to prove whether or not such things truly exist. That fascination has led to numerous television shows that use the latest technology to see if these spooks and specters exist and well...it's quite incredible to see so many people working to disprove or prove whether or not there is more for our spirits and souls when we pass into the great beyond.

It's something I will fully admit to being curious about myself, in part because of my love of horror films and in part because...the numerous stories that still pop up about ghostly encounters pique my imagination and leave me wondering if there is indeed something more we don't quite understand, which led Shae and I to add an extra enhancement to our recent voyage to the Stanley Hotel, by participating in their legendary ghost tour to see if by chance we could have a close encounter of the supernatural kind.  After all, the hotel is well known for being haunted and the spirits that wander the halls of this iconic hotel continue to be spoken of and documented on a regular basis. 

Now, out of respect for the Stanley Hotel and the special way they handle this tour, a lot of the nitty gritty details of the tour I will be leaving out in this blog. Instead, we'll talk about the experience and whether or not some strange things happened for a couple of reasons. For starters, these guides work extremely hard on putting together a one of a kind experience for the guests on the tour, injecting their own personality as they speak of the ghosts and because quite frankly, if you're up at the hotel and you're interested in the tour, you flat out need to experience it, also if by chance you do take the tour, ask for Leigh. She was our tour guide this go round and she was absolutely incredible and made the tour fun, exciting and informative and well...spooky. 

​With all that in mind, I will make sure to clue you in on a couple of specifics as best I can so the story I tell makes a little more sense. For example, one part of the tour that instantly drew me in was the fact that we were given what one could equate to a totem. These were objects that would entice the spirits to interact with us, because these were lightweight objects that they could move, and well...much to my surprise, these objects did indeed move.

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Our first goal on the tour was to see if the spirits would respond and it was fascinating to hear people gasp at seeing their object move and Shae and I were witness to it up close and personal when Leigh asked the spirits nicely to shift her object around. It was eerie to say the least and while our totems hadn't moved yet, the night was young and there was more to see. We went from location to location, learning more about the hotel and its haunted history. A personal highlight for me was Room 217, and a personal goal this trip was to potentially photograph something spooky. But alas, nothing showed up on digital film but a few light refractions, and that's okay. Because there were plenty of strange moments to commit to memory over film. 

​Case in point, on the fourth floor, where the majority of activity is often found in the hotel, Room 402's door was open. No one was staying in the room, and there was a family nearby peeking in to see if anyone was in there...but that door should have never been open, since the hotel has switched over to magnetic key locks and our tour guide did casually point out that the door should have been closed. It could have been a case of neglect from housekeeping sure, but on this night...one has to wonder. Not to mention, several people walking by that room pointed out a 'musky' scent which Leigh said should correlate with Lord Dunraven's spirit being in the area. It wasn't the last time a strange scent would pop up either, outside of Room 428, 'The Cowboy Room' where Shae once stayed, a gal in our group said she smelled perfume indicating the possibility that  the spirit of Flora Stanley was near. 

Yet, there was little that I had personally encountered, and that all changed in the last leg of our tour. Where in the hotel we went, I won't reveal, but I will say this room/area is considered the source of the Stanley's attraction to spirits and well...something about that place didn't feel quite right with me. You know the feeling, where something in your gut tells you something is amiss or off...well that feeling was with me the entire time in that place, and while I had hoped this was where my camera would finally capture something, it did not. But...Shae did break out her totem, hoping to see something happen and lo and behold...that little bugger moved, several times.  

Was it the definitive proof that part of me had been hoping for? Sadly not, but it did most certainly leave me wondering. After all, some of the stuff that happened on this tour was certainly out of the ordinary. The open door for one, and quite frankly, the feeling in my gut and Shae's totem moving about. Which means perhaps another trip will be necessary in the future to see if by chance something a little stronger happens or if I can snag it on camera, and for those true believers out there thinking I should leave well enough alone, always remember that the Stanley's spirits are not malicious in any fashion, they are simply there for reasons we cannot explain, and for the non believers rolling their eyes at this tale, go up there, take the tour and let's discuss it after that. Either way, this was a fun filled evening, filled with the unknown and spooky moments and I think it is safe to say...there is much more to the Stanley Hotel than we will ever understand...

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