Dating from 1909 Hotel Plaza is considered a gem among Havana’s hotels due to its triangular shaped design, its magnificent neoclassical facade and its lobby bar, featuring a lovely fountain, abundant vegetation, Mudejar tiles on walls and original floors plus Art Nouveau stained-glass windows that filter the tropical light creating a very special atmosphere.
It is a shame that El Plaza has been neglected for a long time and now it needs major renovations to recover its past glamour. The service is also not up to most guests’ expectations and rooms are poorly maintained and not properly cleaned. In them one could come across problems such as: sinks that have no hot water or plug; cracked and loose tiles; bare wires on socket points which aren’t fixed to the walls; showers that don’t drain the water, so the bathroom floods…all this added to the fact that they are not sound proof.
The entire hotel is due for a renovation and hopefully it will soon get it. In the meantime its charms are its central location, within walking distance to all attractions of the historical center; its roof-top terrace, offering unique views of the city and especially of the Bacardi Building, and its glory day’s charm, which one can still feel upon entering the lobby.