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Hotel Habana Libre; Biography Of A Giant

Which person visiting the Cuban capital  would not notice the presence of the Hotel Habana Libre in the appearance of the city? Its imposing construction, built on the top of a hill, leads one of the most representative areas of the Cuban capital: La Rampa. Its location is maybe its most distinctive trait. But it also has  some other subtle details: the light that issues when the sun hits its façade and its peculiar way of representing the best of the Cuban pictography. Even though it is not considered the emblem hotel of Cuba, condition carried by the Hotel Nacional, it is one of the best known in Cuba.

The current Hotel Habana Libre was founded on march 19 ,1958 after three years of construction, at a cost of 24 million dollars. It had then 630 rooms distributed in 30 floors, being at that moment one of the tallest buildings In Latin America. On the opening day , the American Company Hilton, to whom its management was entrusted for the next 20 years, tried hard to impress the visitors. At the main entrance, the fancy cars were welcome by tall doormen, well shaved up to their side burns and wearing impressive suits with helmets wrapped in colorful tissues ending in suggestive feathers, elegant ties, colorful tissue belts, shining shoes, all of it enhancing the already good- looking young men chosen to do that job.

The Hilton owners wanted to win over by starting to do things well from the very beginning. With the concession to the famous Hilton Hotels Corporation, proprietors intended to assure the services of the hotel with the presence of the American tourism, which they did for only a few months.

The Havana Hilton was an old project of Dr. Mario Lazo, a successful lawyer of the Havana society at that time. Lazo was stimulated with the contract signed by Hilton in 1948 with the government of Puerto Rico to build a hotel in San Juan. That would benefit the government with two thirds of the profits. So he tried to make business with the American Company but he did not find support among the Cuban powerful people at the end of the 40′s. He then tried to do it with the government, with independent organizations and even with the  Sugar Industry Retirement Funds but he could not seal the deal. The project was kept aside for a while. But, as it was expected, and because of the position that the Cuban destination was taking inside the American market, the project was revived, finding financial support in the Retirement Funds and Social Assistance of the Gastronomic Workers.

At first, it was thought to build the hotel in a different place than it is today. The initial project situated it in Centro Habana municipality, nearer to the old center of the city. But the owners realized that the city was growing towards the area known as Vedado and they decided to place it in its commercial heart: La Rampa. The first stone was set in 1955 in an area that was particularly uninhabited within the precious zone, where there already were stores, important company offices, several banks, the main radio and television network of the country, and some other hotels like the Saint John’s, the Capri and the National Hotel.

The Habana Hilton started to be in the preference of tourists interested in spending their holydays in Cuba. But its success did not last much. Ten months after the opening, the revolutionary process that was going on at the same time in the island, triumphed and so started the conflicts between the American government and the Cuban companies doing business with it. During the first years of the Cuban Revolution, the Hilton managers were doing large-scale dismissals and demands of money to the Cuban Government under the pretext that the hotel was in bankruptcy. This way, there were constant problems related with costs and the workers’ salaries, menacing with redundancies and the prohibition of the entrance of tourists to the country. This last thing was a latent menace due to the influence of the  hotel business in the world. The amount demanded by Hilton to the government was of two million pesos to be able , according to him, to support and keep the hotel opened. The Revolutionary Government, to avoid the conflict and  dismissals, gave the credit to the company.

After  the first few days of the Revolution  and during three months, the Continental Suite in room 2324 was used by Fidel Castro as the headquarters of the revolution where he delivered press conferences and attracted to the hotel international personalities who wanted to meet and to talk with the Cuban leader. Another immediate link between the hotel and the revolutionary process was the presence in two of the hotel floors of the first diplomatic representation of the Soviet Union in the island. The situation between Hilton and the Revolutionary Government became every day more difficult. The relationship between the management of the hotel and an attempt to kill Fidel Castro was proved. Finally, on June 11 of 1960,  the Revolutionary Government took over the hotel control and it changed its name as it is today, Hotel Habana Libre.

After its nationalization and with the turn experienced by the country which meant, among other things, the closing of casinos in the hotels and bets in general, the hotel had to face the sudden loss of its tourist attraction which it did not recover until the mid of the 70′ with the visit of  tourists from Canada and the former socialists countries above all. Its facilities were modified a little and some names were changed, for instance the luxurious casino became The Ambassadors’ Hall and the restaurant Trader Vick’ s became El Polinesio. During that time until the hotel recovered around 1974 and because of its wonderful facilities , it was the host of the most important national and international events that took place in Cuba.

Important personalities have stayed in the hotel since its opening besides those directly related with the Cuban government when the headquarters were there. Among them, presidents visiting the island; Valentina Tereskova, the world first female cosmonaut , Elizabeth ( Liz ) Taylor, Terry Moore, Sara Montiel, the Spanish singer, Mexican movie starts Dolores del Rio and Arturo de Cordova, Mario Moreno known as Cantinflas, Pedro Rico the magnificent Spanish singer, and more recently Matt Damon and Naomy Campbell among many other American glamorous world known personalities who have visited the hotel almost furtively,  violating the American government restrictions related to the embargo.

In the 90′s, due to the prosperity experienced by tourism in Cuba, three main hotel groups were created: Gran Caribe, Horizontes Hotels and Isla Azul, this last one for national tourism. The Habana Libre hotel was managed by the Gran Caribe Group in joined venture with Spain and the Guitar Hotels Group. Later on, its administration passed to the Spanish group Tryp Hotels who carried out a renovation of its facilities to adapt it to the demands of the current tourist market.

The new Habana Libre Hotel opened in December 1997 with the most representative works of the Cuban fine arts and handicraft completely restored, like that one of Alfredo Sosabravo placed at the entrance of the Buffet Restaurant. There is also at the lobby the beautiful Clepsidra, a work by the well- known Cuban artist Rita Longa.

Nowadays it continues to be the most representative hotel in the city with its 550 rooms, 7 suites and 31 junior suites as well as smokers rooms. Among their offers there are three very good restaurants: El Polinesio, Caribe and El Barracon; two fast food restaurants: La Rampa coffee shop and a Buffet restaurant. Three bars: El Patio, Siboney and Las Antillas. The hotel also offers other services: a business center, a modern Commercial Gallery at the lobby, conference rooms with a capacity for two thousand people, a beauty parlor and barber shop, bank, swimming pool, parking with a capacity for two hundred vehicles, laundry service. On the 25th floor there is the Panoramic Hall Sierra Maestra and the Disco- Cabaret Turquino, provided with a retractable roof with a splendid belvedere over the Cuban Caribbean.

The Habana Libre Hotel, a giant among the Havana hotels awaits for you if you choose the destination Cuba in your trips to the Caribbean.

About the Author

Liborio País is a content colaborator and blogger about cuba hotels and cuba vacations at Umbrella Travel.

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