The Hotel Nacional of Havana, Cuba
Photo Feature by Irina Pino
HAVANA TIMES – I visited the Hotel Nacional during the administration of Democratic President Jimmy Carter, who was kind enough to strengthen ties between Cuba and the United States during his term (1977–1981). Carter took steps to open channels for the Cuban community so that families could reunite after years of migration policy restrictions.
So, in 1978, my aunt Aurora came, accompanied by her husband and daughter. They stayed at this hotel. That meeting was both emotional and sad—both sisters hugged for a long time.
We sat for a while in the lobby and were later invited to eat at one of the restaurants, the smaller one. There was a long conversation among the adults. Meanwhile, my siblings and I were thrilled to meet our cousin; she had been born over there and was a US citizen, so she spoke a mix of English and Spanish, which made her interesting and charming. She wore a T-shirt with a Bee Gees design that we loved for its novelty.
We ate well, and after dessert, we went up to the room they had reserved. My father gave them a canvas painted by a friend of his—it was a seascape with a boat in the foreground.
The environment, clean and well-furnished, pleased us with its layout and comfort. We were a bit shy, though furtively our eyes fixed on the suitcases and the duffle bags still lying on the floor, occupying the corners and next to the window.
My aunt took out chocolate bars with all kinds of fillings. It was a festival of flavors, given how rare sweets were, sweets we always loved and which she now offered in abundance. Children and teenagers are generally fascinated by chocolate in all its forms.
After that came the distribution of the pacotilla [a term for goods and gifts brought from abroad].
The stay lasted only a week. In the 1990s, Mom traveled to the United States several times. I never saw them again. But I spoke to my aunt often by phone, as she never stopped helping us financially—until she passed away.
That’s why I recall this place with such emotion.
Here are a few curiosities about the Hotel Nacional:
It was designed by the New York architectural firm McKim, Mead & White and financed by a bank from the same city. It opened in 1930 on the Tangana hilltop, with eclectic architecture blending Art Deco, Spanish Moorish, Neo-colonial, and Roman styles. Its structure is made of steel, and for its construction, marble, coral stone, and precious woods were used. It is located between O and P streets, and most rooms offer views of Havana’s malecón.
In 1979, it became the venue for the Havana Latin American Film Festival, so filmmakers, actors, and actresses attending the event usually stay there. Interviews take place in the spacious outdoor courtyard. Additional events are also held, such as press conferences, dinners, and lectures.
It has been visited by important figures in film, politics, sports, music, literature, and science, as well as monarchs and heads of state. Among them: Victor Fleming, Winston Churchill, Nat King Cole, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Mickey Mantle, Teofilo Stevenson, Errol Flynn, Jorge Negrete, Rosita Fornes, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, Buster Keaton, Rita Hayworth, Jose Raul Capablanca, Ernest Hemingway, Romulo Gallegos, Jean-Paul Sartre, Tintan, Ana Belen and Víctor Manuel, among others.
In the last century, during the 1930s and 40s, the Italian-American mafia had business interests in the hotel. It was also the site of a meeting of the most powerful families in organized crime, including Santos Trafficante and Meyer Lansky. This scene is recreated in Francis F. Coppola’s film The Godfather. The hotel has been declared a National Monument and is listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. If you’d like more information, there’s plenty of material available online.
I hope you enjoy the photos I’ve shared.
