Miami Ghost Chronicles
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      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S5
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      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S3
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    • Apparitions at the Asylum >
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    • Cemeteries >
      • Pinewood Cemetery
    • Haunted Hotels >
      • Brookdale Lodge
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      • The Legend of St. Ann's Retreat
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      • Biltmore Hotel
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Florida's Haunted History
Biltmore Hotel

Miami Biltmore Hotel
Coral Gables, Florida

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Biltmore Hotels
In its heyday, The Biltmore played host to royalty, both Europe's and Hollywood's. The hotel counted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Al Capone and assorted Roosevelts and Vanderbilts as frequent guests. Fashion shows, gala balls, aquatic shows by the grand pool and weddings were de rigueur as were world class golf tournaments. A product of the Jazz Age, big bands entertained wealthy, well-traveled visitors to this American Riviera resort.

In the 1929, gangster Thomas “Fatty” Walsh was fatally shot at the Biltmore over a gambling dispute. Rumor is that his ghost haunts the hotel, especially the bar, where the glasses and bottles on the shelves have reportedly shaken mysteriously. Known as a man of indulgence who enjoyed Cuban cigars and women, Fatty is said to still wander the hotel and play tricks on staff and guests. His apparition has been seen on the 13th floor, where he was killed, and in bathroom mirrors throughout the hotel. The mysterious scent of cigar smoke, presumably a manifestation of Fatty, has been reported to follow attractive women around the Biltmore.
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Paranormal investigators say Fatty is a cooperative and friendly spirit. But he might not be the only soul wandering the hotel's halls. A decade after Walsh’s murder, in the 1930s, eyewitnesses reported that a woman walking in front of the Biltmore mysteriously disappeared. More recently, members of the kitchen staff claimed to have seen mysteriously swinging doors and inexplicable noises. The next time you visit the Biltmore — for the hotel's annual Halloween party perhaps — pay attention to any mysterious smells, sounds, or movements: You might have attracted the attention of a gangster ghost!

But there could be other sources for the hauntings said to occur at the Biltmore. With the onset of World War II, The Biltmore was converted to a hospital by the War Department. It served the wounded as the Army Air Forces Regional Hospital. Many of the windows were sealed with concrete, and the marble floors covered with government issue linoleum. Also the early site of The University of Miami's School of Medicine, The Biltmore remained a VA hospital until 1968.

In 1973, through the Historic Monuments Act and Legacy of Parks program, the City of Coral Gables was granted ownership control of The Biltmore. Undecided as to the structure's future, The Biltmore remained unoccupied for almost 10 years. Then in 1983, the City oversaw its full restoration to be opened as a grand hotel. Almost four years and $55 million later, The Biltmore opened on December 31, 1987 as a first class hotel and resort. Over 600 guests turned out to honor the historic Biltmore at a black tie affair. Since before it's restoration in 1983, the Biltmore Hotel has been known for being haunted, unexplained noises on the 13th floor, a ghostly girl out on the golf course, and restless spirits from its time as a VA hospital, are but only a few of the ghostly stories associated with it.


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  • Miami Ghost Chronicles
  • Miami Ghost Chronicles Book
  • Contact and Support
  • True Believers Submit Your Story
    • Submit a Story | Retell It
    • Submit a Story | Written
    • What to Include in Your Story
  • Stories of the Supernatural
    • SOS Season 9 Jan - June 2021 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S9
    • SOS Season 8 July - Dec 2020 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S8
    • SOS Season 7 Jan - June 2020 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S7
    • SOS Season 6 July - Dec 2019 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S6
    • SOS Season 5 Jan - June 2019 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S5
    • SOS Season 4 July - Dec 2018 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S4
    • SOS Season 3 Jan - June 2018 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S3
    • SOS Season 2 July to Dec. 2017 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S2
    • SOS Season 1 Feb - June 2017 >
      • Stories of the Supernatural Podcast S1
  • Stranger Than Fiction Blog
  • Case Files & Investigations
    • Apparitions at the Asylum >
      • Rolling Hills Asylum
      • Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
    • Cemeteries >
      • Pinewood Cemetery
    • Haunted Hotels >
      • Brookdale Lodge
    • Haunted Holy Places >
      • Convent at Chacachacare Island
      • The Legend of St. Ann's Retreat
    • Haunted Prisons >
      • West Virginia Penitentiary
    • Historical Haunts >
      • Bobby Mackey's Music World
      • Drayton Hall Plantation
      • The Myrtles Plantation
    • Lighthouse Revenants
    • Paranormal Cases >
      • Cases 2014
      • Cases 2015
      • Investigations I
      • Investigations II
      • Investigations III
      • Investigations IV
      • Investigations V
      • Investigations VI
      • Investigations VII
    • Animal Hauntings
    • Florida Haunted History >
      • Abandoned, Forgotten & Haunted
      • Belleview Biltmore Hotel
      • Biltmore Hotel
      • Miami Ghost Chronicles Book
      • Coral Castle
      • Jonathan Dickinson State Park
      • The Devil Tree
      • Stranahan House
    • Murder Houses >
      • Kreischer Mansion