Providence Biltmore

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Biltmore Hotel, as seen from Burnside Park in Providence

The Providence Biltmore Hotel is a luxury hotel that opened in 1922 as part of the Biltmore Hotel chain. It was founded by John McEntee Bowman and Louis Wallick. The Biltmore closed in 1975 and remained out of use until a group of local businesses implemented Federal tax credits to rehabilitate the building, reopening it in 1979. Today, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently owned by Grand Heritage Hotels.

The Biltmore boasts an external glass elevator that climbs all 18 floors of the hotel. The elevator was not part of the original building.

Built in the neo-Federal style and designed by the architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore (who also designed Grand Central Station), the Biltmore was the tallest building in the city until the Industrial Trust CO was finished six years later.^[1] Today (as of 2006), the Biltmore is the seventh-tallest building in the city.

The hotel was originally built with 600 rooms. Later, walls were knocked down and suites were created. The hotel boasts over 100 junior suites, the most in Providence. The hotel currently contains one restaurant, Mccormick & Schmicks, a seafood restaurant which features a fresh menu daily. There is also the exclusive Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa. The hotel also has a gift shop and flower shop.

Something the hotel is known for is its luxurious banquet space (over 19,000 feet²). With a Grand Ballroom on the rooftop level that can hold up to 750, it contains excellent space for functions such as wedding receptions or conferences. The hotel also has a Garden Room with a terrace.

For 71 years (until the Westin Hotel was completed in 1993), it was the tallest and largest hotel in Providence, Rhode Island.