In The NoCo

The Stanley Hotel is a Colorado icon. An unusual alliance could help the hotel thrive in the years ahead

By In The NoCo,

Published June 6, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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Gov. Jared Polis signs House Bill 1358 in front of the Stanley Hotel, surrounded by a group of 8 other people. There is a podium with the seal of the state of Colorado, and a cloth over a table that reads "Colorado. Office of Governor Jared Polis." — Gov. Jared Polis signs House Bill 1358 in front of the Stanley Hotel. Polis signed two bills on May 28, 2024, that open up additional funds and tax incentives for creative industries in Colorado, specifically targeting incentives for the film industry.

The Stanley Hotel is a cultural landmark of Estes Park. It was built in the early 1900s, and soon became a popular Colorado getaway for wealthy vacationers.

But it's perhaps most well-known as the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining.

Today, the hotel caters to horror fans with ghost tours, while visitors who prefer a calmer vacation enjoy watching herds of elk on the lawn and the perfect view of Longs Peak.

All of this has made the Stanley Hotel a huge part of Estes Park – and Colorado – culture. And an unusual team of investors and elected officials want to make sure the Stanley survives into the next century.

Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins wrote about the sale of the Stanley Hotel, which was finalized in May. He joined Erin O'Toole to talk about how this arrangement came together, and what the future of this Colorado institution might look like.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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