 |
| Unfortunately, the fog completely obscured the majestic Mt. Washington behind the hotel...but it also added to the spooky The Shining atmosphere! |
**Disclaimer...I took photos and notes from the tour and backed it up with research, but any mistakes are mine.
First impression is that the hotel does indeed look like the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King's The Shining, both outside and in some parts of the interior. And due to efforts to return the decor to the vintage splendor of the opening season in 1902, walking through the doors feels like stepping back into the past. As our guide began the tour, we learned that this hotel was indeed the height of luxury even when it opened...it was one of the first hotels to have electric lights and private bathrooms. In fact, Thomas Edison himself designed the lights that still grace the lobby.
 |
| A portrait of "The Princess" now hangs above the original balcony that was part of her rooms. |
The original owner and builder, Joseph Stickney, saw only one season before he passed away, leaving his young bride Carolyn to inherit the property. Carolyn eventually remarried a prince and was hence known as "The Princess". During her years of presiding over the hotel, she became known for some eccentric habits...for example, she would sit in a balcony of her room, overlooking the staircase leading to the dining room, to watch the guests descend for dinner. If any of the ladies were dressed more elegantly than she was, she would change. If she dined in the dining room, she was the last to enter, and she ate alone at a small table by the door, which was closed after her entrance. No one was permitted to leave until she did.
Apparently, she also was quite attached to her large four poster bed...which I understand completely. But she went a step above and beyond and took it with her wherever she went...having it disassembled and then reassembled during her travels. She died in the bed, and it now welcomes guests who opt to stay in "The Princess Suite" (Room 314)...the haunted room, or at least one of them, according to gossip. Where can I sign up?
 |
| We asked if we could open the trapdoor...and we did! |
 |
| Entrance to The Cellar |
After The Princess passed, her nephew inherited the hotel, but he wasn't particularly dedicated to managing a resort, and financial struggles and WWII resulted in closure in 1942. Shuttered, the abandoned property stood vacant until 1944, when it was purchased and renovated in preparation to serve as the site for the Bretton Woods monetary conference. During the clean-up, workers were instructed to paint everything white...which resulted in gilded artwork and trim, stained glass windows, and original brass lighting being coated in white paint...the great "White-out". Much of this has been restored, except the gold leaf paint, which is now lost forever. Thankfully, one room was left alone, the gold paint intact, for reasons unknown.
 |
| Countries present at the Bretton Woods Conference...some of which no longer exist anymore as countries |
Now the hotel has been restored to its original glory as closely as possible, and it is owned by Omni. It's on the US National Register of Historic Places and is a US National Historic Landmark.
 |
| The rest of the group joined us after skiing at the hotel pub for a fun night! |
If you enjoyed this post, check out some of my other posts on my visits to haunted historical places: The Catacombs of Paris, The Dakota Hotel in NYC, The Old Jailhouse in Barnstable, and The Abandoned Glenn Dale TB Hospital...to name a few!
And I hope you'll check out my novels in the tabs above if you enjoy spooky suspense!
 |
| I was hoping I might catch an image in my pic down the hall... |
