The Hotel Plaza is a historic four-story hotel in the Old Havana section of Havana.
History
The Hotel Plaza was founded by Captain Walter Fletcher Smith, and was built from an existing colonial building. It was designed by Ricardo Galbis Abella, and constructed by the New York firm of Purdy and Henderson, Engineers. The hotel opened in 1909. The hotel was renovated in 1919 with a roof garden that included a ballroom and restaurant. Guests at the hotel included Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth, Isadora Duncan, and Anna Pavlova.The History of Havana by Dick Cluster and Rafael Hernández. p116Havana: History and Architecture of a Romantic City by Maria Luisa Lobo Montalvo. pp245-247
A casino was opened in the hotel during the 1950s. It was owned by Philadelphia crime family member Angelo Bruno, along with Joseph "Hoboken Joe" Stassi and his son Joe Stassi Jr. Stassi was an associate of mobster Meyer Lansky.Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution by T.J. English. p298 French Canadian Lucien Rivard also purchased casino interests. R. D. Matthews of Texas owned the hotel bar. The casino was destroyed by mobs in early January 1959 as Fidel Castro's rebel army overtook Havana.Batista and Regime Flee Cuba; Castro Moving to Take Power; Mobs Riot and Loot in Havana New York Times January 2, 1959Celebrating Overthrow Madera Daily News-Tribune January 6, 1959 Slot machines were pulled out of the casino and thrown on a bonfire.
During the late 1980s, the hotel was restored. It reopened in 1991 as part of the Gran Caribe hotel group.
In 2023, it was announced that the hotel would join the luxury Meliá Collection division of the Spanish Meliá Hotels International chain, but before this happened, the company ceased all operations in Cuba in 2026.
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