![\"Biltmore](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tfl-l-top-workplaces-biltmore-002.jpg\")
Biltmore Hotel CEO and President Tom Prescott in an atrium at the historic Coral Gables hotel. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\nFor years, Sofia Araya drove past the venerable Biltmore Hotel, the scene of major political and social events, celebrity visits and literally a centerpiece of the City of Coral Gables.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in Coral Gables. I had my middle school prom here,\u201d she said. \u201cThis has been a staple in the Coral Gables area for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Araya is a marketing coordinator at the 271-room luxury hotel, one of nearly 700 full- and part-time employees who serve guests from around the world. After graduating with degrees in hospitality from Florida International University and working at another area hotel, she started at the Biltmore in late March.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis property is iconic,\u201d she said of the century-old property. \u201cIt\u2019s a privilege to be here, and I feel a sense of pride I was able to become a part of this iconic hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those feelings are echoed all around the hotel\u2019s workforce, which rallied this year to lift the Biltmore to the No. 1 position in the South Florida Sun Sentinel\u2019s Top Workplaces annual competition for large companies. (This year, 198 companies of all sizes were surveyed, and 170 qualified as a top workplace. Those classified as large companies have 400 or more employees.)<\/p>\n
Araya and her new fellow employees have high standards to maintain at the hotel, which is a member of\u00a0 Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world\u2019s largest independent hotel brand. More than 600 luxury hotels, resorts, and residences in more than 80 countries count themselves as part of the group. They are all required to pass \u201cannual, anonymous, 1,600-point inspections focused on high-quality standards and superior service,\u201d the organization says.<\/p>\n
Biltmore Hotel CEO and President Tom Prescott in an atrium at the historic Coral Gables hotel. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Multiple generations have helped maintain those standards; from grandmothers to grandsons, employees from the same families have worked at the hotel, said Tom Prescott, the hotel\u2019s president and CEO. The staff also boasts a multi-national flavor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have over 46 country backgrounds here, myself included. And that\u2019s a source of pride for us,\u201d Prescott said.<\/p>\n
A January gala celebrating the hotel\u2019s centennial brought together local and national leaders, as well as members of Miami\u2019s diplomatic corps.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that was the closest we\u2019ve had to our own personal state dinner,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Working at the hotel is more than a \u201c9-to-5 kind of clock-in,\u201d Prescott added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure it\u2019s an engaging workplace,\u201d he said. \u201cYou spend most of your time here and not with your loved ones, so we want to make sure you have the opportunities to grow within the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wants to hear from his employees when they see something go wrong, or have ideas to make operations and services better.<\/p>\n
A number of U.S. presidents have been guests. President Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor during his presidency in the 1990s, as well as a regular player on the resort\u2019s championship golf course. Besides business meetings and conferences, the hotel handles a heavy diet of weddings.<\/p>\n
Management support<\/p>\n
The hotel orchestrates more than 400 events annually and upper-echelon management has the employees\u2019 backs, said Jenny Rivera, director of catering and conference services.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe handle a lot of high-level pressured hospitality and events,\u201d said Rivera, who is approaching her 10th year as an employee. \u201cThe leadership shows up every day. They are supportive. They are approachable. It definitely makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natalie Then, a nine-year employee and assistant director of human resources, said the hotel puts on multiple events for employees. Promotions aren\u2019t out of the question. She started with the Biltmore in retail sales, moved up to accounting and handled payroll, and then joined human resources as a generalist.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very family-oriented,\u201d she said. \u201cComing to work every day doesn\u2019t feel like work. This is my second home. There are plenty of opportunities to grow within the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Assistant](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tfl-l-top-workplaces-biltmore-006.jpg\")
Assistant Director of Human Resources Natalie Then, left, Director of Catering and Conference Services Jenny Rivera, and Director of Human Resources Job Gutierrez at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Job Gutierrez, the director of human resources, said the hotel operates a two-day \u201crobust onboarding program\u201d called \u201cPassion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want our people to be passionate when they show up for work,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s important for us to demonstrate that they are not just part of any job. They are creating an environment for an experience for our guests.\u201d<\/p>\n
The introduction is then followed by a 14-day program in the new employees\u2019 respective departments. Then management follows up to see how the newcomers are doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have continuous conversations with the employees,\u201d Gutierrez said. \u201cBefore we kick off the day, we all gather around and we have a conversation to see what it is they need to set up for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther organizations don\u2019t have a touch-base with employees after six months,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Keeping it current<\/p>\n
Prescott said that as the Biltmore moves forward with the balancing act of maintaining its historic stature while keeping pace with guests\u2019 changing demands, employees will play a key role.<\/p>\n
When City of Coral Gables founder George Merrick envisioned the city\u2019s layout in the 1920s, Prescott said, the hotel was to be at its epicenter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe focused on the fact that this needed to be a luxury hotel property,\u201d Prescott said. \u201cYes, it needed to be the epicenter of Coral Gables and he laid out the municipality accordingly. He knew that times would change \u2014 things would evolve. There is no way he would have said, \u2018keep it preserved as a living museum and we wouldn\u2019t have air conditioning in today\u2019s world.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI have attempted updating, but in a responsible manner, areas of the hotel that address exactly that point,\u201d Prescott said. \u201cThe modern traveler who is going to come, for example, is going to have a need to carry an average of two to three electronic devices \u2014 an iPhone, an iPad, computer laptop\u00a0 \u2014 they need power ports to plug in.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople want better lighting these days. You can do those things in a responsible manner without taking away from the true and original character the Biltmore has,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a balance. I try to find the right balance. My team tries to find the right balance. We consult with the city and the hotel preservation board. We think we have the right balance. Time, I guess, will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also profiled as part of South Florida Sun Sentinel\u2019s Top Workplaces 2026: Midsize companies winner Voloridge<\/a> and small companies winner RegisHR<\/a>.<\/p>\n 1926: Opens in January with a massive gala. From the 1920s into the 1930s, the hotel hosts royalty, celebrities and politicians, including entertainer Ginger Rogers and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.<\/p>\n 1940-1960s: During World War II, converted into a military hospital and later a Veterans Administration hospital. Serves as a campus for the University of Miami School of Medicine through 1968. Thereafter, the property is abandoned for a number of years.<\/p>\n 1973: City of Coral Gables granted ownership control through the Historic Monuments Act, but the hotel remains idle for more than a decade.<\/p>\n 1983: Restoration begins to resurrect the hotel\u2019s grandeur.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/tfl-l-top-workplaces-biltmore-001.jpg\")
The iconic Biltmore Hotel boasts one of the largest resort swimming pools on the East Coast. In the 1920s, Olympic champion and “Tarzan” actor Johnny Weissmuller worked as a swimming instructor and lifeguard there. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
\nThe Biltmore over a century<\/p>\n