The Biltmore Hotel-Coral Gables,FL

Wrapped in palms and pink stucco, The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables looks like a Mediterranean dream by day—and a full-on ghost story set at night. Guests come for the grand tower, Olympic-sized pool, and Gilded-Age glam, but many leave talking about cigar smoke with no smoker, elevators that insist on visiting the 13th floor, and a mobster who may still be running his casino in spirit.

Brief history of The Biltmore Hotel

• Built in 1926 by Coral Gables founder George Merrick as the showpiece of his “City Beautiful” vision, designed in Mediterranean Revival style with a 315-foot tower and what was then one of the world’s largest pools.

• Quickly became a playground for movie stars, politicians, and high society through the late 1920s and ’30s.

• During World War II, the U.S. War Department converted the hotel into Army Air Forces Hospital No. 2; later it became a VA hospital and University of Miami medical school facility.

• It closed in 1968 and sat vacant for years before Coral Gables and private partners funded a full restoration; it reopened as a luxury resort in the 1980s and is now a National Historic Landmark.

With gangsters, war-time trauma, and decades of history layered into its halls, it’s no surprise the Biltmore is routinely listed among Florida’s most haunted hotels.

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Haunted Hot Spots & Reported Paranormal Activity

1. The 13th floor & the “Fatty Walsh” suite

• In 1929, New York mobster Thomas “Fatty” Walsh was shot and killed during a gambling dispute in a private penthouse/speakeasy suite spanning the 13th (and upper) floor.

• His ghost is the hotel’s most infamous: staff and guests report a portly man in period clothes on the 13th floor, especially near the former casino suite.

• Common claims:

  • Elevators that ignore buttons and stop on 13 anyway, doors lingering open as if for an invisible passenger.

  • Lights flickering, doors opening for servers, and items like lampshades or tools being moved during renovations—behavior often blamed on a playful Fatty.

  • Occasional whiffs of cigar smoke in non-smoking areas on that floor.

2. Ghostly soldiers & hospital echoes

• When the hotel operated as a military and VA hospital, soldiers recuperated in upper-floor wards. Many ghost sources say WWII-era soldiers still march the halls, especially around the 13th floor and former hospital wings.

• Reported phenomena: boot-step marching sounds, low voices, and unexplained lights appearing and vanishing in empty corridors.

3. Elevators & phantom staff

• Guests have described riding with an old-fashioned elevator operator in vintage uniform—only to find the car empty when they look again or reach their floor.

• Some paranormal write-ups say this spectral attendant sometimes “overrides” controls to deliver riders to the haunted 13th floor.

4. Woman in white & the ballroom couple

• Multiple sources mention a woman in a white dress wandering the grounds and tower balconies, often linked to a story of a young mother who supposedly fell while trying to save her child. Guests describe a cold rush of air and the scent of gardenias when she’s near.

• Staff have also reported a ghostly couple waltzing in one of the ballrooms, vanishing mid-dance when someone enters.

5. General hotspots

Across various floors and public areas, common claims include:

• Disembodied voices and laughter, as if a Prohibition-era party were still going on behind closed doors.

• Unexplained cold spots, especially in long interior corridors and near certain balconies.

Recent guest reviews & visitor accounts

Most mainstream hotel reviews focus on service and amenities, but there are some recent public comments and stories that lean into the Biltmore’s haunted side:

1. Young investigators’ stay (r/Paranormal, ~2022)
   Two teens booked “a known haunted room” after seeing a YouTube investigation. During a séance they reported knocking responses, flickering lights, and a heavy presence near the bed, unnerving enough that they cut the session short. Reddit

2. TripAdvisor reviewer comparing it to a horror movie (2021)
   A guest described parts of the property at night as “ghost town… reminded me of The Shining”, noting how empty, echoing corridors and the huge, dimly lit lobby felt “creepy in a fun way.” tripadvisor.com

3. Haunted-tour features & guest anecdotes (2022–2025)
   Recent ghost-tour and travel pieces call the Biltmore “notoriously haunted,” highlighting guest stories of:

   • Elevators that insist on a detour to the 13th floor

   • Shadowy figures and a portly man in old-fashioned clothes on that level

   • Voices and marching sounds thought to be soldiers from its hospital years floridahauntedhouses.com+3Miami Haunts+3Greater Miami & Miami Beach+3

4. Local magazine recollections (Coral Gables Magazine, 2020)
   A feature on the hotel’s “Ghost of Christmas Past” mentions continuing stories from staff: a waltzing couple in a ballroom, the woman searching for her child, and the enduring belief that Fatty Walsh still “works the room” where he died. Coral Gables Magazine+2Haunted Rooms America+2

As with any haunted property, these are anecdotal and unverified—but for paranormal-curious guests, they add plenty of atmosphere to an already dramatic setting.

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