Matt Michels of Brookfield stands in front of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo. The reportedly haunted hotel inspired Stephen King to write the horror novel "The Shining" after he stayed there. Michels and his father, Marc, are staying in the hotel tonight.

BROOKFIELD - 
Marc Michels might have planned the perfect Halloween vacation: staying in the Colorado hotel room where author Stephen King was inspired to write his horror novel "The Shining."

Michels and his 14-year-old son, Matt, of Brookfield, will stay in Room 217 of The Stanley Hotel tonight, where King also spent the night on Halloween 1974.

Michels said the author and his wife were the only guests at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo., on Oct. 31, 1974. King was getting drunk in the hotel’s bar, when he began to wander around the hotel looking for his room, Michels said.

While walking around, King reportedly saw a ghost. That night as he slept in Room 217, King had a dream that his son, Joe, was being chased by a fire hose, Michels said. After the dream, King outlined the idea for "The Shining," which was made even more famous by the Stanley Kubrick film version starring Jack Nicholson.

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