Hotel Saratoga
| Hotel Saratoga | |
|---|---|
 Hotel Saratoga, before the 2022 explosion that largely destroyed it | |
 | |
| Former names | Hotel Alcazar |
| General information | |
| Status | Closed |
| Type | Commercial |
| Architectural style | Postmodern |
| Address | Paseo del Prado No. 603 |
| Town or city | Havana |
| Country | Cuba |
| Coordinates | 23°08′01″N 82°21′29″W / 23.13361°N 82.35806°W |
| Completed | 1888 |
| Opened | 2005 |
| Renovated | 1933 |
| Closed | April 2020 |
| Owner | Revolutionary government |
| Landlord | Empresa Mixta Hotel Saratoga S.A. |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 33 meters (108 ft)[1] |
| Roof | 27 meters (89 ft) |
| Top floor | 24 meters (79 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced concrete |
| Floor count | 13[1][2] |
| Lifts/elevators | 4 |
| Grounds | 1,132 square metres (12,180 sq ft) |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Hotel Saratoga was a historic hotel located on the Paseo del Prado, in Old Havana near the Fuente de la India. Built in 1880 as a warehouse, it was remodeled into a hotel in 1933. It was further remodeled in 2005 and reopened as a luxury hotel.[3] The hotel was largely destroyed by a gas explosion on 6 May 2022, which killed forty-seven people.[4]
History
[edit]
The Hotel Saratoga is located in front of the Parque de la Fraternidad near the Capitolio Building in Havana, Cuba. Spanish merchant Gregorio Palacio y Pérez commissioned the building. Originally, it was a three-story building.[5]
Its first location was on Calle Monte. Later it was moved to the surroundings of the Campo de Marte (now the Parque de la Fraternidad) and called the Alcázar.
The central location and the views made it a preferred destination for international visitors.[3] In 1935, tourist guides highlighted the hotel as one of the best in Havana. Its terrace, called Aires Libres, was an important cultural and traditional center in the 20th century.[3][6]
Revolutionary period
[edit]
Like most businesses in Cuba in the 1960s, the Hotel Saratoga was confiscated by the revolutionary government.[3][a][8] Until then, the building had maintained its vitality. After the takeover by the revolutionary government, it became a tenement building with multiple subdivisions until it was vacated due to its poor condition.[3][b] In 1996, the property was transferred to Hotel Saratoga S.A., a Cuban joint-venture company owned jointly by Habaguanex S.A., the commercial arm of the City Historian's Office, and an international consortium of investors.[citation needed] The original building was gutted, and only the street façades on Paseo del Prado and Dragones remained. A new building was constructed behind the original façades, including a two-level basement, a mezzanine level, and additional floors. It was reopened in 2005 as a five-star hotel with 96 rooms, three bars, two restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, and a business center. Its architecture recalled the colonial era and had an eclectic character with a large number of elements of interest such as French carpentry, ceramics, and Cuban marble.[3] The two original facades were destroyed by the explosion.
2022 explosion
[edit]An explosion occurred on 6 May 2022 at the hotel, killing forty-seven people, including one Spanish tourist.[4] The hotel's facade was sheared off and the interior was gutted. The cause was attributed to an accident while resupplying the building with gas.[10]
Gallery
[edit]-
Aerial view. circa 1929 -
First Hotel Saratoga, Calle Monte -
1950s -
The original Hotel Alcazar -
Hotel Alcazar, 1910 -
Hotel Saratoga in 1949 -
Hotel Saratoga, Havana, Cuba
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^ " Confiscation: (a) The nationalization, expropriation, or other seizure by the Cuban Government of ownership or control of property on or after January 1, 1959 without the return or compensation for the property, or without settlement of the claim to the property pursuant to an international claims settlement agreement or other mutually accepted settlement procedure; or (b) The Cuban Government's repudiation of, default on, or failure to pay on or after January 1, 1959 the following: (i) a debt of any enterprise nationalized, expropriated, or otherwise taken by the Cuban Government, (ii) a debt that is a charge on property nationalized, expropriated, or otherwise taken by the Cuban government, or (iii) a debt which was incurred by the Cuban Government in satisfaction or settlement of a confiscated property claim. See LIBERTAD Act § 4 (4)."[7]
- ^ Also see 104th Congress Public Law 114:[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b cross section hotel Saratoga
- ^ Ziomara Lamelas (08 october 2017), "Recuerdos y Nostalgias de Cuba".
- ^ a b c d e f Iglesias Sánchez, Zenaida (6 May 2022) [2018-03-05]. "Edificio en la esquina de Paseo del Prado y Dragones: Hotel "Saratoga"" [Building on the corner of Paseo del Prado and Dragones: Hotel "Saratoga"]. Habana Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ a b Minsap, Redacción (15 June 2022). "Información actualizada sobre el estado de los lesionados en el accidente del hotel Saratoga" [Update on the status of those injured in the Saratoga hotel accident]. Ministerio de Salud Pública (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Hotel Saratoga: History". Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ Rodríguez Marcano, Yamira (6 May 2022). "Ámbitos de recreación y sociabilidad: Los Aires Libres del Prado" [Areas of recreation and sociability: The Free Airs of the Prado]. Habana Radio (in Spanish).
- ^ "US Lawsuits Commence against Non-US Persons for Confiscated Cuban Property, EU Raises Concerns_Note No. 10". Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "What types of property was taken?". Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "To seek international sanctions against the Castro government in Cuba". Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ de Córdoba, José (6 May 2022). "Cuba Hotel Explosion: At Least Nine Dead in Blast at Havana's Hotel Saratoga". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
External links
[edit]
- USA Today clip of the damaged hotel on YouTube
- Official site of the Office of the Historian of Havana City
- 2006 article including the Saratoga as one of the five best rooftop pools
- Article about opening of hotel (in Spanish)
- – video showing hotel interior in mid-2010s
- Coral Capital quietly funds Cuba ventures.
- Cuba probes British fund, arrests top executive
- From now on you have no name. You are prisoner 217': life in a Cuban jail
- Business: Investing in Cuba Is More Than Just a Financial Gamble