An artist's rendering of plans for the 224-room Inn on Biltmore Estate

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) -- A luxury hotel planned for Biltmore Estate will allow visitors to stay overnight on the grounds of George Vanderbilt's famous retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Built at the turn of the century, Biltmore Estate now hosts about 850,000 visitors each year, many of whom have expressed an interest in spending the night on the estate.

Starting in the summer of 2000, they will be able to stay at the 224-room hotel for about $150 a night, said William A.V. Cecil Jr., Vanderbilt's great-grandson and the chief executive officer of The Biltmore Company.

The Inn on Biltmore Estate will replicate the feel of America's turn-of-the-century resorts and will attempt to offer guests some of the hospitality that the Vanderbilts' guests enjoyed in the 1890s. Plans call for activities reminiscent of that era, including walking and hiking trails, carriage rides and horseback riding, biking and croquet.

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The hotel will be located on a hill above Biltmore Estate Winery, with views of the surrounding mountains. Its amenities will include a 150-seat restaurant, a library, a lobby bar, a health club and a children's activity area.

The inn's design will echo the estate's primary attraction -- the 250-room Biltmore House, America's largest private residence. Fieldstone and stucco will be used in the hotel, which will have a slate roof similar to that of the Biltmore House.