Word is that Stephen King got inspiration from the hotel while he was staying there for the novel The Shining. That just might have to do with tales of ghostly hauntings, including this report straight from the hotel's website:
"Miss Elizabeth Wilson was the chief housekeeper at the Stanley Hotel in its very early days. On the evening of June 25, 1911, during a storm, she was involved in an explosion that took place as she was lighting the acetylene lanterns that were the backup system for the hotel’s electricity. Miss Wilson was shot down in the explosion from what is now Room 217 to the floor of the MacGregor Room. She was not killed, but her ankles were broken. From the 1950s on, it has been reported that she might take special care of people that stay in 217. Sometimes guests staying in that room encounter extra housekeeping services, including having their things put away or unpacked."
