The Caribe Hilton is located in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

, and is owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and managed by

Hilton Worldwide Hilton Worldwide (legally Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.) is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the corporation is now led b ...

History

In early 1946, as part of the Puerto Rican industrialization effort known as

Operation Bootstrap Operation Bootstrap ( es, Operación Manos a la Obra) is the name given to a series of projects which transformed the economy of Puerto Rico into an industrial and developed one. The federal government of the United States together with what i ...

, the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. decided to erect a modern luxury hotel. The facility would be owned by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, but leased to the multinational hospitality operator that provided the best bid. The hotel would have 300 bedrooms and the necessary ancillary facilities, and be located adjacent to

Fortín de San Gerónimo Fortín de San Gerónimo de Boquerón is a small fort located at the mouth of the Condado Lagoon, across from the historic sector of Miramar in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was built during the 18th century to replace a smaller battery (called E ...

in Puerta de Tierra. A competition was held to select the design, with three architectural firms in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

invited: Schimmelpfennig, Ruiz y González; The Office of

Henry Klumb Heinrich Klumb (1905 in Cologne, Germany – 1984 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) was a German architect who worked in Puerto Rico during the mid 20th Century. Education and early life Klumb was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1905. An honors graduate ...

; and

Toro Ferrer Toro y Ferrer was an architectural firm and one of the principal exponents of Puerto Rico's tropical modernism. Founded in 1945 by Osvaldo Toro FAIA (1914–1995), Miguel Ferrer FAIA (1914–2005) and Luis Torregrosa Casellas, the firm designed ...

. Two additional firms from Florida were also invited to participate: Frederick G. Seelman from Palm Beach and Robert Swartburg from Miami. These two firms submitted

Spanish Renaissance The Spanish Renaissance was a movement in Spain, emerging from the Italian Renaissance in Italy during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. This new focus in art, literature, quotes and science inspired ...

-style designs, while the three Puerto Rican firms presented modern designs inspired by the International style. The final design chosen was by

, who also designed the Modern Movement-style Supreme Court Building in San Juan. To operate the hotel, the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. invited seven leading American hotel firms. Conrad Hilton, being from New Mexico, opened his letter back with "Mi estimado amigo" and won over the Puerto Ricans.Opening of Caribe Hilton Hotel in 1949
The creation of the hotel represented a partnership between the Puerto Rican government and U.S business. Americans viewed the creation of the hotel as a symbol of their power to create material progress. A majority of Puerto Rican citizens did not approve of the decision to build the hotel. They believed that the public funds would have better suited the island inhabitants if they were invested in improving education and social welfare. San Juan's fire chief of the time disapproved the government's decision to "degrade itself by buying tourists." Articles published by '' El Mundo'' in 1952 saw the American tourists as selfish people who did not care about the island and ones who will in the future convince the Puerto Rican people to serve them. The Caribe Hilton opened on December 9, 1949.Caribe Hilton Celebrates 50 Glamorous Years On Dec. 9. - Free Online Library
/ref> The government-backed Puerto Rico Industrial Development Corp. ( PRIDCO) spent $7 million to build and furnish the hotel. After it was built, the government leased the hotel to the Hilton Corp. on a 20-year lease. The hotel was the first in Puerto Rico to offer radios in every room and individually controlled air conditioners. Guests for the opening included

Gloria Swanson Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...

, Eastern Air Lines President

Eddie Rickenbacker Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.David Rockefeller David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017) was an American investment banker who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the oldest living member of the third generation of the Rockefeller family, ...

and numerous other celebrities and notables. The hotel claims to be the birthplace of the

Piña colada The piña colada (; es, piña , "pineapple", and , "strained") is a cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut or coconut milk, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with either a pineapple w ...

. In 1954, bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero spent three months creating a mix of rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. The drink was first served on August 15, 1954. The original hotel was expanded over the years from 300 rooms to 646 rooms. After managing the hotel for 48 years, Hilton International bought the property in 1998. Hilton closed the hotel the following year for a complete renovation, lasting nine months. It reopened on December 25, 1999 celebrating its 50th anniversary after $50 million in renovations. In 2005, the hotel was expanded with the huge Paseo Caribe complex, including shops, restaurants, and 264 villas marketed as the Condado Lagoon Villas. In January 2017, ownership of the hotel was transferred to Park Hotels & Resorts when that company was spun off from Hilton Worldwide. In September 2017, the hotel was heavily damaged by

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

, forcing it to close. It reopened in May 2019, following a US$100 million renovation.

Famous guests

Its first of many famous guests were

and

Gertrude Ederle Gertrude Caroline Ederle (October 23, 1906 – November 30, 2003) was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and world record-holder in five events. On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. ...

. Between the 1960s and 1980s, many important performers either worked or stayed at the Caribe Hilton, including

Marco Antonio Muñiz Marco Antonio Muñiz (born 3 March 1933) is a Mexican singer from Jalisco, Mexico. Known all over Latin America, he also acted in the 1965 film '' Sinful'' ( Spanish: El Pecador). He belongs to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Early life and car ...

. Other famous guests have included many world champion boxers during

's ''golden era of

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

''. The national

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

teams of twelve countries also stayed there for 2003's pre-

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

tournament of the Americas.

In popular culture

Part of the television film '' Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie'' was filmed in the outdoor pool area of the hotel. It is also the setting for Hunter S. Thompson's '' The Rum Diary''. '' 22 Jump Street'' was also filmed in the lobby of the hotel.

Photo gallery

Image:Caribe-Hilton-Beachside.jpg, A view of the private beach at the Caribe Hilton. Image:Caribe-Hilton-Fort-San-Jerónimo.jpg, Fortín de San Gerónimo sits on the same exclusive property managed by Hilton. Image:Caribe-Hilton-Lagoon.jpg, The lagoons at the Hilton are natural habitats for local fish and birds. Image:Tropical-Garden-at-the-Caribe-Hilton.JPG, The Tropical Gardens.

References

External links