Biltmore Hotel

A magnificent 1926 Mediterranean Revival hotel in Coral Gables, built by George Merrick and John McEntee Bowman. The hotel served as a military hospital during WWII and was abandoned from 1968 to 1983.

The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables was built in 1926 by developer George Merrick and hotelier John McEntee Bowman. Designed with Spanish and Italian architecture, the hotel's tower is modeled after the Giralda in Seville, Spain. The Biltmore quickly became a hotspot for celebrities, royalty, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt—but also attracted a darker clientele during Prohibition. Gangsters Al Capone and Thomas Fatty Walsh ran illegal gambling in the Everglades Suite. In March 1929, Walsh and fellow gangster Edward Wilson argued—likely over a gambling debt—and Wilson shot Fatty dead in front of the grand fireplace. Walsh, formerly Arnold Rothstein's bodyguard, never left. His portly ghost in period clothing roams the 13th floor, particularly around the murder scene. During 1980s renovations, workers reported Walsh constantly moving their tools. He writes messages on mirrors, steals lampshades, turns off lights, and plays with elevator guests—sending them to unwanted floors. The elevator inexplicably stops on the 13th floor as if waiting for a passenger who never gets off. World War II transformed the Biltmore into a military hospital, and ghostly soldiers still march through halls. A woman in white—some say a woman who jumped from the tower—appears in guest rooms. A dancing couple waltzes across the ballroom before suddenly vanishing. The National Historic Landmark became one of Florida's most legendary haunted hotels.