Located in Old Havana, the Hotel Saratoga was at times frequented by international celebrities and foreign businessmen visiting the island. Its neoclassical architecture stood out at Paseo del Prado in the country’s capital, where it long stood as a city landmark.
But the five-story building wasn’t always a destination for foreigners visiting Cuba. It was originally built in 1880 to serve as a warehouse before it was converted into a fashionable hotel in 1933 and turned into a tenement building during the turbulent revolution of the 1960s. In 2005 it, was remodeled once again to become a luxury lodging amid the country’s efforts to lure foreign tourists.
On Friday, however, much of the iconic hotel was destroyed by an explosion that left at least nine dead and 30 injured.
