Biltmore shows off opulence at debut

Oct. 2, 1923: The Biltmore Hotel opened with a dinner-dance for 3,000.

“Amid scenes that for sparkling splendor and merriment must have rivaled the illustrious settings when the princess was married to the prince in all the glory of the storied castles of old, Los Angeles took the new Biltmore Hotel to her bosom last night,” The Times swooned.

“And from the auspicious wonder of the ceremony and the spirit of it all, it looks as though the two are to ‘live happily together ever afterward.’ ”

Albert S. Crockett, editor of World Traveler magazine, told The Times, “Without doubt it’s the finest hotel in the world.”