Hotel Capri
| Hotel NH Capri La Habana | |
|---|---|
|
Hotel Capri before its recent renovations | |
| General information | |
| Location | Calle 21 / Calle N, Vedado, Havana |
| Opening | 1957 (original), 2014 (reopened) |
| Owner | Grupo Caribe |
| Management | NH Hoteles |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 19 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 220 |
The Hotel Capri is a historic high rise hotel located in central Havana. It reopened in 2014 as the Hotel NH Capri La Habana, following a major renovation, after being closed for many years.[1]
In 1955, President Batista enacted Hotel Law 2070, offering tax incentives, government loans and casino licenses to anyone wishing to build hotels in excess of $1,000,000 or nightclubs for $200,000 in Havana. This bill brought Meyer Lansky and his "associates" in the mafia flooding to the city to take advantage.
The Capri was one of first to be built. Located on Calle 21, 1 Mp. 8 Vedado, only two blocks from the Hotel Nacional, it opened in November 1957. With its 250 rooms, the nineteen-story structure was one of the largest hotel/casinos in Havana during its heyday. It boasted a swimming pool on the roof that can be seen in the opening scenes of Carol Reed's film "Our Man in Havana" and Mikhail Kalatozov's "I Am Cuba".
Owned by mobster Santo Trafficante, Jr. of Tampa, Florida, the hotel/casino was operated by Nicholas Di Costanzo racketeer Charles Turin (aliases: Charles Tourine, Charley "The Blade") and Santino Masselli of the Bronx NY(aliases:"Sonny the Butcher"). After it opened, George Raft was hired to be the public front for the hotel's club during his gangster days in Cuba.[2] It was believed that he owned a considerable interest in the club.[3]
The hotel was designed by architect Jose Canaves and owned by the Canaves family. The hotel, along with its famous casino, was leased to American hotelier, "Skip" Shephard.
The hotel closed in 2003. It reopened in January 2014,[4] following major renovations[1] managed by the Spanish NH Hoteles chain as the Hotel NH Capri La Habana.[5]
References
- 1 2 "Capri Hotel on Cubaism.com". Retrieved 2014-02-01.
- ↑ Havana Before Castro by Peter Moruzzi, p.176
- ↑ Cuban Information Archives, Document 0126
- ↑ http://www.desertsun.com/story/travel/2014/03/02/classic-cuba-famed-art-deco-hotel-reopens-after-renovation/5942145/
- ↑ http://www.nh-hotels.com/nh/en/hotels/cuba/la-habana/nh-capri-la-habana.html
External links
Coordinates: 23°8′31.96″N 82°22′57.35″W / 23.1422111°N 82.3825972°W