The building was noted for its architectural features, with its green sloped roof and white wood-sided exterior, and handcrafted woodwork and Tiffany glass inside.

Constructed of native Florida heart pine wood, it was the second-largest occupied wooden structure in the United States after 1938; only the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego was larger.

During World War II, the Belleview Biltmore served as lodging for servicemen who were stationed at Macdill Air Force Base in Tampa.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the aging hotel began to decline as changing travel patterns and intensified competition from newer beach-front motels caused significant losses.

Although Mido made many repairs to the structure, they were heavily criticized for diminishing the resort's historic appeal by adding a Pagoda-style new lobby and a larger, modern patio.

During the summer of 2004, the hotel suffered glancing blows from hurricanes Jeane and Francis, causing severe damage to an already deteriorated roof, setting the plans to fully restore the building into limbo.

In late 2004, DeBartolo Development Group offered to purchase the property from Belleview Biltmore Resort, Ltd., then owned by Urdang and Associates, to demolish the hotel structure and replace it with retail shopping and condominiums.

[9] "Executives with Legg Mason Real Estate Investors would not disclose the proposed purchase price or the closing date, but said in a written statement they had a contract to buy the resort and intend to preserve the 110-year-old hotel," the Times reported.

Legg Mason engaged the services of historic preservation architect Richard J. Heisenbottle, FAIA to prepare restoration and re-development plans for the project.

[11] Following the hotel's mid-2009 closing, however, an attorney for owner Latitude Management said that the renovation work has been stalled due to litigation by nearby residents, who object to some aspects of the re-development plans.

Managing Partner Richard Heisenbottle said, "We do not subscribe to the theory that the landmark Belleview Biltmore Hotel & Resort is beyond repair and can no longer be restored.

"[14] In 2014, the Belleair Town Commission approved plans by the current owner, JMC Communities, for a $125 million development to tear down all but the original structure's roughly 38,000-square-feet west wing, or 10 percent, after first documenting the hotel's history through photographs and written catalogs.

In December, 2015, the Belleair Town Attorney said that all lawsuits had been "voluntarily withdrawn" by the parties, thereby allowing the developer to proceed with continued demolition and construction of new townhomes and condominiums, preserving a portion of the 1897 structure as a small boutique hotel.