The Biltmore Hotel is an integral part of the City of Coral Gables. John McEntee Bowman, a hotel magnate, and Mr. Coral Gables himself, George Merrick, designed the hotel back in 1924, right before the city was incorporated. They aimed to provide the city with a hotel that would be a center of sports and fashion. The same team had also designed other hotels, including a few more Biltmore Hotels, around the country. On top of the 400-room hotel, the $10 million project also included a golf course, country club, tennis courts, polo fields, and a massive swimming pool, which is the largest hotel swimming pool in the Continental United States. The site personified 1920s Miami: it was glorious, glamorous, and up-and-coming. Many different kinds of celebrities visited the hotel throughout the years. Some of which were President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dukes and Duchesses, Bing Crosby, and even Al Capone. During World War II, the hotel was converted into a giant military hospital and named it the Army Air Forces Regional Hospital. Many airmen spent time in those temporary wards of the Biltmore. After some ups and downs over the decades, and even after a 10-year unoccupied period in the 70s and 80s, the Biltmore has maintained its place as a historic landmark and hub of luxury in South Florida.