The Biltmore Hotel
The Biltmore Hotel of Providence, Rhode Island is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. It has existed since 1922, featured in multiple movies and allowed the likes of Stephen King and Robert Bloch to gain inspiration for terrifying fictional accommodations such as the Overlook Hotel and the Bates Motel. Though these stories have scared many, the true story of the Biltmore Hotel’s past is far more sinister than one could imagine and has given rise to the belief that the Biltmore is the most haunted place in Rhode Island.
Paranormal Activity at the Biltmore Hotel
Since the Biltmore Hotel’s conception, it has shared strong links with darkness. In 1918 Johan Leisse Weisskopf, famously known to be an open Satanist, made the decision to finance the construction of the Biltmore Hotel. It was public knowledge that the building’s purpose was to educate the New England community about Satanism and its perks. The hotel was even designed with religious considerations, including a chicken coop on the roof to supply plentiful sacrifices for weekly rituals, underground alters including dug out springs used in cleansing rituals and the famous Bacchante Dining Room, which was home to a staff of nude waitresses affectionately known as the Bacchante Girls.
Adding to the controversy of the new hotel was its use as a popular speak easy during prohibition. Mob affiliations guaranteed that some terrible events occurred at the Biltmore Hotel. It is these, mixed with the Satanic rituals that many believe to have trapped spirits within the walls of the Biltmore.
During the Biltmore’s days as a speak easy it attracted many high-powered men of the law and government officials to its underground, concealed bar. High blood alcohol levels and a lax attitude for normal laws created an unstable environment that festered a breeding ground for crime. During this time, multiple murders saw at least six police implicated in the crimes, further murders occurred including the drowning of an 11-year-old prostitute. Even a Mayor and Governor were implicated in murder, as well as several sexual assault accusations. Legend states that all of these deaths resulted in hauntings, seeing the spirits of murder victims trapped within the Biltmore.
Suicide also contributed to the Biltmore Hotel’s ghost tally. On October 24 1929, there was a stock market crash that resulted in an unknown financial worker throwing himself from the 14th floor of the Biltmore Hotel. It is told that this crash severely crippled the man’s financial status to which he couldn’t cope, seeing his only exit as death. Though the identity of this man remains unknown, he left behind a legacy and today, remains the Biltmore Hotel’s most sighted ghost. Though he leapt from his room on the 14th floor his apparition has been spotted all throughout the hotel. Many guests in lower levels have also claimed to sight a man’s body suddenly plummet past their windows, only to rush over and sight no gruesome aftermath on the street below.
In addition to the phantom falling man and the many murder victims roaming the haunted Biltmore Hotel, other reports of unexplainable paranormal activity exist. Around the witching hour many have claimed to hear the sounds of crazed parties coming from empty rooms. This includes the sounds of heavy stomping, as if drunken groups of dancers are taking to the floor and glasses clinking from long past toasts. Others have heard and even sighted apparitions of ghostly dancers gliding across the Hotel’s grand ballroom. More spooky occurrences have been corroborated by staff members and described by past guests in online review sites.
Visiting the Haunted Biltmore Hotel
No stay in Rhode Island is complete without a visit to the historically listed Providence Biltmore Hotel. The grand building reveals and even more decadent interior, sporting a glass elevator circled by staircases you can almost still see the dignitaries of the past ascending.
You’ll find Providence’s haunted Biltmore Hotel at 11 Dorrance Street.
If you are looking for other haunted places to stay or visit, why not check out the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, which is just a short drive away.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Posted by NV ??? on May 9, 2018
That video is so fascinating Amy. I’ve seen it before but it still creeps me out everytime I watch it. More great stories and pics
Posted by Amy on May 9, 2018
Thanks so much for the comment and checking out my blog! I’m working on more spooky stories to share!
Posted by Ron on September 12, 2019
Great story, I appreciate the input.i actually learned allot and it was a fun read… Even without my glasses.
Posted by Amy on September 12, 2019
Thanks for reading Ron! Glad you enjoyed it.
Posted by elizabeth s on May 2, 2021
I had a gymnastics competition and we stayed at this hotel on the 14th floor and it was a cool place but it was strange cause there was photos of people on the walls and a room (a ballroom maybe) on the first floor when you walk in was closed and taped up. I thought it was strange and my sister found these stories like the ones you mentioned. I was looking at the glass elevator and saw a shaded figure in the glass elevator. We also actually also never heard any noise but my sister, dad and I are all somewhat heavy sleepers. I just thought I would comment.
Posted by Amy on May 4, 2021
Wow, thanks for sharing your experience at the Biltmore Hotel, Elizabeth.
Posted by Taylar Ranton on June 8, 2021
My husband and I stayed last night which is now called “The Graduate Providence” but it still has the biltmore sign above the hotel. I felt uneasy the entire time being there. The hallways were eerily quiet and footsteps could be heard through that silence, yet no one was there. One night was enough for me!
Posted by Amy on June 9, 2021
Thanks for sharing Taylar. I hope to visit the Biltmore again someday.