Contact Admin. The plan of this hotel was drafted practically at the end of the nineteenth century, and simply remained at that: It seems that initially the property was to be part of a tourist development venture, concocted by American capital during a period marked by a sharp increase of US investments and penetration in the Cuban economy.
Their plans however, were thwarted by the historical moment the country was going through , which coincided with the beginning of the War of Independence. The owner at the time, Mr.
Lena, announced that the property, which been rendering impeccable services for a considerably long time, was moving to a two-story house on Medio Street, where the offices of Mr. Once in its new location on Medio Street, the facility acquired the category of Grand Hotel and Restaurant.
Located at Jovellanos No. Antonio Chong, the owner, arrived to Cuba in , when he was 18 years of age, and became a Cuban citizen in From to , the facility was operated as a small restaurant, under the same name, by Jose Chong and Jose Lin, the proprietors.
In , the hotel was described as a three-story masonry stone building near the sea. In , its owner, Mr. Babin, for the purpose of endowing the facility with luxury and comfort, added the two houses adjacent to it, thus providing independent and well ventilated accommodations, many overlooking the bay and cooled by the gentle breeze.
