The Overlook Hotel Revealed: Where Is 'The Shining' Hotel And What Happened To It In 2025?

The iconic, terrifying Overlook Hotel from The Shining is not just one location, but a chilling composite of three distinct, real-world properties, each with its own dark history and architectural grandeur. As of late 2025, the hotels that inspired and were used for the legendary 1980 film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick continue to be major tourist destinations, though one of them has recently undergone a massive, multi-million dollar change in ownership and is embarking on a significant new project.

The confusion over the "real" hotel stems from author Stephen King's initial inspiration versus the actual locations chosen by director Stanley Kubrick for the movie. Horror fans flock to these sites annually, seeking out the ghost stories, the infamous Room 217, and the unmistakable exterior seen in the film. The most recent updates for 2025 confirm that the legacy of The Shining is not only alive but is expanding, with new cultural initiatives and major events taking place at the primary locations.

The Stanley Hotel: The True Origin of Stephen King's Nightmare

When most people ask, "where is the hotel that was in The Shining," they are unknowingly referring to the source of the story itself: The Stanley Hotel. This grand, colonial-revival structure is the undisputed birthplace of the Overlook Hotel concept, located in the high-altitude town of Estes Park, Colorado. Stephen King and his wife stayed there in 1974 just before it closed for the winter, finding themselves the only guests in the sprawling, empty building. It was this eerie, isolated experience that provided the perfect backdrop for his novel.

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Recent Updates and Current Status (2025)

The Stanley Hotel remains a fully operational, historic hotel and a mecca for paranormal enthusiasts. However, 2025 brought significant, high-profile changes to the property:

• $400 Million Acquisition: In a major business development, The Stanley Hotel was sold in May 2025 for a reported $400 million, signaling a new chapter under fresh management.
• New Cultural Center Groundbreaking: A groundbreaking ceremony took place in March 2025 for a new project, which includes the unveiling of a new cultural center and event venue. This expansion aims to solidify its status as a destination for arts and entertainment, beyond its horror heritage.
• The Shining Ball: The hotel continues its tradition of hosting major themed events, including "The Shining Ball 2025," which attracts horror fans from around the world every year.
• The Infamous Room 217: Unlike the movie's Room 237, King’s actual haunted room was Room 217. It is the most requested room at the Stanley Hotel and is booked solid months in advance by guests hoping for a supernatural encounter.

The Stanley Hotel is located at 333 E Wonderview Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517, USA, and is open year-round for tours, dining, and overnight stays. It is forever linked to the novel, even though director Stanley Kubrick chose a different location for the film's exterior shots.

Timberline Lodge: The Iconic Exterior of the Overlook

For fans of the 1980 film, the most recognizable image of the Overlook Hotel is its snow-capped, imposing exterior. This is where the second major location comes into play: The Timberline Lodge in Oregon. Stanley Kubrick used establishing shots of this massive, rustic lodge for the exterior of his fictional hotel.

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The Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark built in the 1930s, situated high on the south side of Mount Hood in the Mount Hood National Forest. Its unique architecture, with its towering stone chimney and rugged timber construction, perfectly captured the isolated and grand scale Kubrick was looking for in the Overlook Hotel.

Key Differences and 2025 Events

There is a crucial, fascinating detail about the Timberline Lodge and the movie. The management of the lodge requested that Kubrick change the famous haunted room number in the movie, fearing that guests would refuse to stay in the "real" haunted room. Kubrick agreed, changing Room 217 (from the book) to Room 237 for the film. Ironically, Room 237 at the Timberline Lodge does not even exist, making the fictional room number a safer option for their business.

The Timberline Lodge continues to be a vibrant destination, especially in 2025, hosting several major events:

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• Annual Holiday Celebrations: The lodge is a popular winter destination, with scheduled events for December 2025, including the Christmas Tree Lighting and a special multi-course meal on Christmas Day.
• "The Shining" Halloween Event: The lodge embraces its cinematic history by hosting a special "The Shining" event on October 31, 2025.
• Year-Round Activities: Located on Mount Hood, the lodge is a major hub for skiing, snowboarding, and hiking, making it a popular spot for outdoor enthusiasts as well as horror fans.

The Timberline Lodge is located at 27500 E Timberline Rd, Government Camp, OR 97028, USA.

The Ahwahnee Hotel: The Hidden Interior Inspiration

While the Stanley Hotel provided the story's soul and the Timberline Lodge provided the exterior shots, the vast, menacing interiors of the Overlook Hotel seen in the film were primarily built on soundstages in England. However, the architectural and design inspiration for those sets came from a third, lesser-known location: The Ahwahnee Hotel (now officially named The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) in Yosemite National Park, California.

The Iconic Interior Details

Kubrick’s production designer, Roy Walker, and the set decorators studied the Ahwahnee Hotel extensively to capture the perfect look for the Overlook's interiors. The massive scale, the Native American-inspired patterns, and the grand, cavernous feel of the hotel are directly reflected in the movie's most memorable sets:

• The Colorado Lounge: The huge fireplace, the high ceilings, and the dramatic beams of the Overlook’s main lobby and bar are heavily inspired by the architecture of the Ahwahnee.
• The Elevators: The distinctive, unforgettable red elevator doors that famously unleash a river of blood are a clear visual reference to the Ahwahnee’s interior design.
• The Grand Staircase: The hotel’s imposing, wooden grand staircase, which Jack Torrance often stares at, reflects the large-scale, rustic luxury of the Ahwahnee.

The Ahwahnee Hotel (The Majestic Yosemite Hotel) is located at 9005 Ahwahnee Dr, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389, USA. It is still a luxury hotel and a National Historic Landmark, though its connection to The Shining is purely visual inspiration rather than a filming location.

The Overlook's True Location: A Studio Masterpiece

The final, and perhaps most surprising, answer to where the hotel was is "Elstree Studios." The vast majority of the interior shots—the hallways, the kitchen, the ballroom, the Torrance apartment, and the infamous hedge maze—were all meticulously constructed sets at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England.

Stanley Kubrick utilized the stage space to create a hotel that was architecturally impossible in the real world, allowing him to control every detail of the lighting, color palette, and spatial relationships to maximize the feeling of dread and disorientation. The sheer scale and complexity of these sets, inspired by the Ahwahnee, made the Overlook Hotel an entity unto itself—a character that was both familiar and deeply unsettling.

Ultimately, the "hotel that was in The Shining" is an unforgettable trifecta: The Stanley Hotel (the haunted soul), The Timberline Lodge (the iconic face), and the Ahwahnee Hotel (the visual blueprint), all brought to life on a soundstage by the cinematic genius of Stanley Kubrick.