Plaza

How the Stage was Set HISTORY IN BRIEF 1908, December 28: Opening date. 1960: The hotel was nationalised. 1991: After a major revamp, the hotel, now part of the Gran Caribe group, reopened. HISTORY IN DETAIL 1592: The land on which the Hotel Plaza now stands was purchased from the Spanish Crown by Don Gaspar Arteaga 1895: The Pedroso family mansion (the present day Hotel Plaza) was constructed on the site once owned by Don Gasper Areaga. 1898: The two floor building became the head office of the newspaper ‘El Diario de la Marina’. Riots break out against the newspaper by Anit- autonomists. 1901: The building was purchased by the American Fletcher Smith, who turned it into a hotel. 1906: The hotel changed hands, becoming the property of Leopoldo Carvajal, the Marquis of Pinar del Rio. 1908, December 28: The hotel opened for business. 1909, January: Official inauguration of the Hotel Plaza. The occasion was marked with a charity ball. 1920: The world famous Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova visited the hotel. 1930: The local Jewish community paid tribute to Albert Einstein by putting on a banquet at the Hotel Plaza. 1930s: Efforts were made to transform the hotel into a casino. They proved unfruitful because of a failure to obtain the necessary licenses. 1940: The hotel became a public company, Hotel Plaza S.A 1950:A casino license was granted and the Hotel Plaza commenced casino operations. 1960: After the revolution, the casino was shut down. The hotel was nationalised. 1985-91: Renovation work. 1991: The new hotel reopened after its revamp. Creation of the Gran Caribe hotel group, of which Hotel Plaza became a member.

The famous guests to have graced the hotel over the years include Albert Einstein, baseball legend Babe Ruth and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.