Hotel Inglaterra is the oldest hotel in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. . It is located at
Paseo del Prado
The Paseo del Prado is one of the main boulevards in Madrid, Spain. It runs north–south between the Plaza de Cibeles and the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V (also known as Plaza de Atocha), with the Plaza de Cánovas del Castillo (the locati ...
#416 between San Rafael and San Miguel.
History
The hotel traces its origins to 1844, when a two-story building known as ''El Cafe'' or ''The Escauriza Saloon'' was built at the site. In 1863, El Cafe was sold to Joaquin Payret, who renamed it ''El Louvre''. In 1875, Payret sold the cafe to finance construction of a theater across the street, and the ''Gran Hotel de Inglaterra'' was constructed, opening on December 23, 1875. The two-story structure was owned by Manuel López and Urban González and was designed in the
neoclassical style. In 1886, the hotel was sold to Don Francisco Villamil, who added a third floor to the building.
General Antonio Maceo stayed at the hotel for six months in 1890.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
stayed there while visiting Cuba as a military reporter during the
Spanish-Cuban war in December 1895.
The Inglaterra was renovated again in 1901, with the addition of electricity, telephones, private bathrooms in each room, and a telegraph link. The fourth floor was added in 1914, along with the iconic glass marquee. In 1931, the hotel was forced to close, due to the impact of the
Great Depression. It reopened in 1939. In the 1930s, the hotel was owned and operated by the Solés family. The general manager was Candido Solés. It was remodeled multiple times after the Revolution, in 1973, 1981 and 1989.
On March 19, 2016,
Starwood
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016.
...
announced that the Inglaterra would become the first hotel in Cuba to be managed by an American company in over 55 years, joining The Luxury Collection division. Starwood received special authorization from the U.S. Treasury to operate the hotel. Necessary renovations delayed the Inglaterra joining Starwood, and the Four Points by Sheraton Havana, a conversion of the existing Hotel Quinta Avenida, ended up being the first US-managed hotel, in June 2016. Marriott International acquired Starwood on September 23, 2016. Dates for the Inglaterra to join The Luxury Collection were later announced, including December 2016, December 2017, December 2019, and 2020, but they all passed with the hotel never being renovated and never joining Marriott. On June 5, 2020, Marriott was ordered by the U.S. Treasury to cease management of the Four Points by Sheraton by August 31 and not to open any other planned properties in Cuba, like the Inglaterra.
Appearances in books and movies
Hotel Inglaterra appears in the
Elmore Leonard novel
''Cuba Libre''''.'' It also appears in the
Cristina García (journalist)
Cristina García (born July 4, 1958) is a Cuban-born American journalist and novelist. Her first novel ''Dreaming in Cuban'' (1992) was a finalist for the National Book Award. She has since published her novels '' The Agüero Sisters'' (1997) an ...
novel ''
Dreaming in Cuban
''Dreaming in Cuban'' is the first novel written by author Cristina García, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. This novel moves between Cuba and the United States featuring three generations of a single family. The novel focuses p ...
.''
See also
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List of buildings in Havana
This is a list of the preserved important buildings in Havana, capital of Cuba.
Havana was called by the Spanish as the "Key to the New World", and due to the British invasion attempts the Spanish greatly fortified it.
The colonial coat of arm ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inglaterra
Hotels in Havana
Hotels established in 1875
19th-century architecture in Cuba