Hotel Habana Riviera
Hotel Habana Riviera by Iberostar | |
---|---|
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts | |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 21 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Igor B. Polevitzky |
Other designers | Albert Parvin (interiors) |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 352 |
Website | |
https://www.iberostar.com/en/hotels/la-habana/habana-riviera-by-iberostar |
The Hotel Habana Riviera by Iberostar, originally known as the Havana Riviera, is a historic resort hotel located on the
History
Construction
The Havana Riviera was originally owned by
Lansky's investment partners included some of Las Vegas's biggest power brokers. Besides Dalitz were his old friends Morris Kleinman, Sam Tucker, Wilbur Clark of the Desert Inn (and Lansky's Hotel Nacional casino); Ed Levinson of the Fremont Hotel; Charles "Babe" Baron looking after Sam Giancana's interests and Hyman Abrams and Morris Rosen of the Flamingo Las Vegas (of Bugsy Siegel fame). As with all of Lansky’s dealings, he and his underworld associates’ ownership of the Riviera was hidden behind layers of managers and front men.
In selecting an architect for the Riviera, Lansky initially approached Wayne McAllister, who was the prolific Los Angeles–based designer of Las Vegas's stylish Desert Inn, Fremont, and Sands hotels—all properties controlled by Lansky’s associates in the "Cleveland Gang". But Lansky's insistence that the hotel be completed in less than six months led McAllister to respectfully decline the offer. Instead, Igor Boris Polevitzky, one of the deans of Miami Modern architecture, took the job with Irving Feldman, who had a dozen prestigious hotels and apartment blocks to his credit in Miami Beach, serving as the project's general contractor.[2] Original blueprints of the hotel were made in Miami by the Feldman Construction Corporation, as well as by the Cuban-based architect, Manuel Carrera Machado.[3]
Lansky then hired Albert B. Parvin of Los Angeles to design the hotel's original decor. Parvin was an interior decorator whose only previous chief claim to fame in decorating was having laid carpets in many of the big hotels in Vegas. His main occupation was operating the Flamingo, a post he held between 1955 and 1960; nine years after Lansky himself agreed to
Work began on the site of a former sports arena in December 1956 in the midst of the revolutionary upheaval. Already envisioned as "The Riviera of the Caribbean", it was considered the epitome of resort-construction, and certainly was one of the more costly hotels in Cuba. It was also the first of its kind in Havana to have air-conditioned rooms. Each room had a view of the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel was not only near downtown Havana, but also close to residential Miramar and Country Club.[citation needed]
Opening and famous guests
When the Havana Riviera opened on December 10, 1957, it was the largest purpose-built casino-hotel in Cuba or anywhere in the world at that time outside Las Vegas (the
After the hotel was finished, Lansky installed himself in the Presidential Suite on the top floor as his command post, appointing Harry Smith, a prominent hotelman from
Revolution
Unfortunately for Lansky, the Cuban Revolution caused all of Americans' properties in Cuba to be seized.
Lansky, whose health was declining by this point, chartered a plane that same New Year's Eve headed for the
On January 22, 1959, Fidel Castro held a press conference at the Copa Cabaret inside the hotel where he gave his response to the world with regards to the Cuban Revolution. In October of the following year he nationalized all the island's hotel-casinos and outlawed gambling.
Today
The hotel still maintains the famous "Palacio de la Salsa Club" where salsa bands regularly perform.
The
The hotel was operated for many years by the Gran Caribe chain, a Cuban state-owned company. On December 10, 2016,
References
- ISBN 0-8078-3175-1.
- ^ Steve Piccolo (2000). "Chip Venues & Their History". The Museum of Gaming History.
- ^ Original Concepts
- ^ "Bugsy Siegel opens Flamingo Hotel". History Chanel. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ISBN 1-4236-0367-2. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ "From the Riviera Hotel, Havana Cuba". IMDb. 19 January 1958.
- ISBN 9780803292659.
- ^ Antonio Pillo Jr (30 July 2013). "Cosa Nostra Business Ventures – The Mafia in Cuba Part 3". Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- Tampa Tribune. p. 1.
- ^ "Iberostar asumirá la administración del Hotel Riviera de La Habana". Diario Las Américas. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Iberostar to Take Over Management of Havana's Landmark Hotel Riviera". Iberostar. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Victoria Rosenthal (18 July 2018). "Cuba seeks to drive Havana hotel investments". Hotel Management. Retrieved 20 December 2018.