A 1942 Art Deco landmark on Ocean Drive where at least seven WWII soldiers died during the Army's wartime hotel requisition
1440 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Boutique hotel room rates vary by season; restaurant and rooftop bar accessible to non-guests
Access
Wheelchair OK
Urban sidewalk, paved interior
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1942 · Art Deco / Florida-Georgian Architecture · World War II Military History · National Register of Historic Places
The Betsy Ross Hotel was designed by L. Murray Dixon and opened in 1942 at 1440 Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. Dixon was among the most prolific Art Deco architects of South Beach's first building boom, and the Betsy Ross represented his take on the Florida-Georgian variant of the style.
Within weeks of its opening, the hotel entered military service. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Northern Command requisitioned all 332 hotels on Miami Beach for wartime use, converting the oceanfront resort strip into a massive training and staging area for the Army Air Forces. Miami Beach's hotels collectively housed tens of thousands of soldiers, and the Betsy Ross functioned as barracks housing troops awaiting deployment to European and Pacific theaters.
At least seven soldiers died at the property during the wartime occupation. Most deaths were attributed to the psychological pressures of pending deployment — suicides among men fearing combat overseas. The Army's occupation continued until 1945, when the hotels were returned to civilian ownership. By 1970, the building had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, the property was reimagined as a 61-room luxury boutique hotel, renamed The Betsy-South Beach, with a complete interior renovation completed in 2009 while retaining the original historic facade. A 2016 expansion connected the Betsy to the adjacent former Carlton Hotel via an orb-shaped sky bridge, adding additional rooms.
Sources
The reported phenomena at the Betsy cluster around three types: sound, smell, and materialization. Guests on multiple floors have heard the heavy, rhythmic thumping of boots moving through the corridors — a sound distinct from ordinary foot traffic and described as military in cadence. Police have been called to investigate reports of gunshots inside the building on multiple occasions, but officers find no evidence of any discharge — only, in one documented instance, a chair positioned against the far wall facing the window.
The smell of cigar smoke appears in rooms and hallways with no active smokers nearby, a detail that recurs across multiple independent guest accounts rather than a single anecdote.
Perhaps the most unusual phenomenon involves coins or stones found arranged in small stacks beneath ground-floor entrances and full-length windows in the early morning hours before dawn. The Betsy's management notes this is a pattern recognized across multiple cultural traditions as a marker of ghostly presence — offerings left by or for the dead.
The ghost tour community has highlighted the Betsy as one of Miami Beach's more credible paranormal sites specifically because the WWII deaths are historically documented, and the reported phenomena align with the age and circumstances of the property's wartime occupation.
Stay in the historic Florida-Georgian building that served as military barracks from 1942 to 1945. The hotel has 61 rooms, a rooftop pool deck, and the BLT Steak restaurant. The property expanded in 2016 by connecting to the adjacent former Carlton Hotel via a sky bridge.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Las Vegas, NV
The Aladdin Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 1966 as a major resort and casino property. The hotel underwent renovations and continued operations until its closure in 2003. Planet Hollywood Entertainment acquired the property in 2005, completely renovating and reopening it in 2007 as Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The 7th floor Panorama Suite emerged as the property's most paranormally active location during Aladdin Hotel operations.
Genoa, WI
Big River Inn dates to either 1879 or 1896 (sources vary) in Genoa, Wisconsin. The building originally functioned as a restaurant before evolving into a combined inn and restaurant. It now operates as Water View Inn, maintaining its paranormal reputation while serving contemporary hospitality functions.
Coral Gables, FL
The Biltmore Hotel opened on January 15, 1926, as a palatial resort designed by acclaimed architects Schultze and Weaver and founded by developer George Merrick and hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman. Its tower was modeled after the Giralda in Seville, Spain. The hotel featured the world's largest swimming pool at the time and hosted high-society galas, fashion shows, and golf tournaments. During World War II, the federal government converted the property into a military hospital; it later operated as a veterans hospital and university campus until 1968. A comprehensive $55 million restoration returned the hotel to operation in 1987.