Providence Biltmore Hotel Heading to Auction After 100 Years

One of my fondest memories of the former Providence Biltmore Hotel in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, was being serenaded by Merv Griffin with his 1950 top 10 hit "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," sometime around 1990.

Griffin, a media mogul and the creator of the television game show Jeopardy! in 1964, hosted his own talk show and appeared in films and on stage. He also owned the Providence radio station where I worked and treated his radio staff to lunch at The Biltmore. Thus, the serenade.

A Personal Merv Griffin Serenade at The Biltmore

After more than 100 years, The Biltmore, which has undergone many ownership and name changes, is scheduled to be auctioned off in New York on January 20, 2027, according to WPRI-12.

The 17-story hotel, with 294 guest rooms and suites, a ballroom, event center, and a restaurant and coffee shop, has a long history.

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A Century of Architectural and Hotel Ownership Changes

The Bowman-Biltmore Hotel chain opened the Providence Biltmore on June 6, 1922, at 11 Dorrance Street near what is now Kennedy Plaza. The Biltmore was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's official program.

Sheraton Hotels bought the Biltmore in 1947, and it renamed it the Sheraton-Biltmore. It has also been known as the Biltmore Hotel and Motor Inn, the Biltmore Plaza, Biltmore Plaza a Dunfey Hotel, Omni Biltmore Hotel, the Providence Biltmore, and the Graduate Providence. It is currently known as the Graduate by Hilton Providence under the present owner, Hilton Worldwide.

Mobsters, The Green Book, and the Future of The Biltmore

During its heyday, the Biltmore was a known hangout for mobsters and one that welcomed Black travelers who might not have been welcome at other upscale hotels. The Biltmore was listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book.

WPRI reported, "The auction does not mean the hotel will close, since the winning bidder could apply to continue to operate the Hilton franchise."

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