The “Shining hotel” can mean two different real places, depending on whether you mean the book’s inspiration or the movie’s filming location.
Book inspiration
- Stephen King was inspired by The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, which he visited in the 1970s and used as the basis for the fictional Overlook Hotel in his novel.
- The Stanley Hotel is a historic resort in the Rocky Mountains near Rocky Mountain National Park and now heavily markets its connection to The Shining.
Movie hotel exterior
- In Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film, the exterior of the Overlook Hotel is Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon, not the Stanley.
- The interiors for the Overlook were built as sets in England, drawing visual inspiration from the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.
Quick reference table
“Shining” connection| Real hotel/location| Where it is| Role
---|---|---|---
King’s novel setting inspiration| The Stanley Hotel 12| Estes Park, Colorado
16| Inspired the Overlook in the book
Film exterior| Timberline Lodge 357| Mount Hood, Oregon 57| Used for outside
shots of the Overlook in the 1980 movie
Film interior design inspiration| Ahwahnee Hotel 3510| Yosemite National Park,
California 510| Influenced the interior sets built in the studio
