Opened in 1926, the Biltmore Hotel quickly became a Prohibition-era playground for celebrities, politicians, and mobsters—and its ghosts are tied directly to its violent history. The most famous spirit is Thomas “Fatty” Walsh, a mobster shot to death on the 13th floor during a gambling dispute in 1929; guests report cigar smoke, phantom footsteps, and a male voice whispering near the old speakeasy suite where he died. During World War II, the hotel was converted into a military hospital, and staff today hear gurneys rolling down empty corridors and see apparitions of soldiers in faded uniforms. Elevator doors open on their own, lights flicker in sealed rooms, and shadow figures drift through the Mediterranean ballroom during closing hours.