Hotel Habana Libre

The Hotel Habana Libre

The Havana audio-guided tour presents you with the Hotel Habana Libre, a modernist-style skyscraper opened in 1958, which was the largest hotel establishment in Latin America of its time.

The provisional headquarters of the Revolution

Opened in 1958 under the Hilton brand, with its twenty-five floors and its five hundred and seventy-two rooms, the hotel became famous for having welcomed Fidel Castro: the leader installed his headquarters there in a suite on the twenty-fourth floor after his arrival in power, for about three months. The establishment has known other international events, such as the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1998 or that of Barack Obama in 2016. It is adorned with a gigantic ceramic mural, the work of the Cuban artist Amelia Peláez.

What there is to see

The skyscraper dominates the Vedado district with its modernist silhouette, and its façade is adorned with the great ceramic mural of Amelia Peláez, one of the most remarkable of the city. A witness to the recent history of Cuba, the hotel is discovered above all from the outside, where one appreciates its architecture and its emblematic mural work.

Practical information

The Hotel Habana Libre is in the Vedado district, in Havana. A hotel establishment in activity, its façade and its ceramic mural can be contemplated from the public space, on the level. It is advisable to respect the tranquillity of the place.

Why is the Hotel Habana Libre famous?

For having hosted the headquarters of Fidel Castro after his arrival in power, and for its great ceramic mural by Amelia Peláez.

When did the Hotel Habana Libre open?

In 1958, under the Hilton brand; with its twenty-five floors, it was the largest hotel in Latin America of the time.