The recovery of tourism in Cuba is accompanied today by the official announcement of the reopening of the Bristol Hotel, a beauty in architecture and first-class service.

The Gran Hotel Bristol is a novelty for Havana, a capital of strong carats in the tourism programs of travelers from all over the world.

Located on Teniente Rey Street, in the old part of the city center, of the archipelago, it is a facility with a long history.

Swimming pool, nightly entertainment, cab service, meeting room and other novelties are the main attractions of this 162-room establishment, operated by the Swiss hotel company Kempinski and within walking distance of places like Havana's Capitol.

Opened by Kempinski Hotels, the Gran Hotel Bristol is this firm's second facility, the first being the Gran Hotel Manzana, just a few blocks away.

The place is inspired by the Art Deco style of the 1930s and features rooms equipped with flat-screen TVs, an individual control panel and Wi-Fi, as well as a pool on the rooftop terrace.

Description

The  hotel has an historical reference, since it was located on Havana's San Rafael and Amistad streets, with a square floor plan, monolithic and sober, a reference even when traditional establishments such as the Regina, Alamac or the Perla de Cuba disappeared amidst ruins.

The Bristol was built in 1924, during Cuba's first hotel boom, when the Prohibition Law prevailing in the United States sent waves of northern tourists to Cuba's coasts.

The Asturian landowner Estelvino Alfonso Trapiello was its founder , who lived in Mexico, according to the notes of the time.

It was classified then as a first class hotel, although not a luxury one and it had all the services that distinguished a hotel of its time: elevator, telephone, and bathroom with hot water in its 100 rooms. It also enjoyed a privileged position in the heart of Havana, in the hard core of commerce and very close to all the entertainment centers visited by the country's upper classes, as reflected in the historical notes on this lodging.

Its roof garden with  a view to the city, was highly appreciated, and its restaurant, oriented to northern tourism, specialized in American food and drinks.

Like all Cuban hotels built during the 1920's, it went through the big economic crisis of 1929 and the political violence of the 1930's that sank Cuban tourism at that time, but it is now being reborn with new energy.

After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the hotel was expropriated. Unlike other facilities alike, that quickly became multi-family buildings, the Bristol continued to provide hotel services for many years, although at low levels.

As late as 1989, the hotel was still listed in the guides published by the former National Tourism Institute (Intur).

It had a two-star category and had increased the number of rooms available to 124, and provided bar, restaurant and telephone services in each room, but it no longer had hot water. The great economic crisis suffered by the country in the 90s of the last century confirmed its death.

In need of a large investment to modernize it into a suitable hotel for international tourism, it was decided to close it ,while awaiting financing.

Little by little it began to be occupied by needy families and used as a transit home. It finally became a multi-family building after 70 years of existence.

Its rebirth then came from the hand of Kempinski Hotels and above all from the upward spiral of Cuban tourism in recent years, which despite the brake caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, now has new lights in this 2022.

With a more than 100 years history, the facility is reborn from the complete restoration of an old space near the original building.

While the original facade of the building where the Bristol is recovered was maintained, the interior is presented in a contemporary design combined with local influences, inspired by the Art Deco style of the 1930s.

Its 162 elegant rooms add up to a 135-square-meter presidential suite, bars, two boardrooms and a fitness center for the modern traveler in a prime location.

Martin R. Smura, Kempinski Hotels CEO and chairman of the board, described the Bristol as a Havana landmark with an impressive history, and commented that transforming it into a luxury hotel strengthens the firm's presence in the region.