Hotel Habana Riviera

The Hotel Habana Riviera by Iberostar, originally known as the Havana Rivera, is a historic resort hotel located on the Malecón waterfront boulevard in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. The hotel, which is managed by the Spanish Iberostar chain, was built in 1957 and still maintains its original 1950s style. It has twenty-one floors containing 352 rooms all of which feature views of the water and the Vedado neighborhood.DesignThe Havana Riviera was characterized by its large size. The very large color-accented lobby was conceived and designed as an open promenade. From the promenade, bridges over sunken gardens led to the L’Elegante cocktail lounge and the L'Aiglon dining room. There were extensive tropical trees and plants outdoors. The Al Fresco dining terrace fused into the pool, cabana club, and adjacent gardens. The casino's elliptical shape was like a great inverted golden goblet.The casino had a large sky-colored exterior Malecón-Blue tile roof. From an unusual suspended ceiling once hung seven out-size specially designed crystal fixtures. The gold leaf walls were embellished with large-scale designs reminiscent of Mayan jewelry. The Copa Cabaret Room was similarly embellished. The theater-sized stage was equipped for any maneuver deemed necessary in the production of the spectacular and what used to be known as the "Extravaganza". Lansky arranged for the top orchestras to play in its cabaret, where movie stars mingled with the mob.In the main dining room known as L'Aiglon, there were tropical murals. The main cocktail lounge was named L'Elegante. There was a dance floor which had continual Latin music and casual entertainment. Behind suits and sports attire were the "formal dress" for the Al Fresco sidewalk café terrace, which overlooked the pool and cabana club. The Riviera also once boasted its own bakery.