Five stories tall with a sixth-floor salon, the Royal Palm Hotel featured the city's first electric lights, elevators and swimming pool.

Almost thirty years later, The Royal Palm Hotel was grievously damaged by the 1926 hurricane, and infested with termites.

Construction crews also removed evidence of the Spanish mission and slave plantation that existed on the site decades earlier.

The boiler room, electric plant, kitchens, laundry and ice-makers were in a separate building.

Although, at the insistence of Julia Tuttle, a clause prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages had been included in all land deeds for the new city of Miami, the Royal Palm Hotel had an exemption to serve alcohol to its guests during the three months of the tourist season.