The history of Hotel Marti in Guantánamo, Cuba

In the corner of Calixto Garcia and Aguilera existed a masonry building with roof of tiles, property of a bourgeois family whose last names were Rodriguez Frómeta.  From final of the years 20 up to 1934 were located in this building the meeting place of the social house “Centro Gallego de la Habana” and the Factory of Tobaccos Orrifly. For the years 40 Jim Arce, man dedicated to the livestock raising, established a modern butcher shop called "La Modelo", first hygienic butcher shop that arose in Guantánamo. In the second semester of 1947 a voracious fire destroyed the building and all the trade places inside of it.

After this catastrophic fire, everything was reconstructed from their foundations and as a result in the first half 50’s in this same corner, a great building of Art Decó style with two floors was raised. The Hotel Martí was inaugurated in the second half of the 50’s, conceived as a brief stay hotel, this new hotel didn't offer gastronomic services (without kitchen and restaurant). The guest and employees' rooms were all located in the second floor of the building; the small desk of the hotel was located on the first floor.

Next to the desk of the Hotel Martí was located, to the left, the Bank Agency of the Cuban Continental Bank that occupied most and to the right, the notary's office of the Dr. Julio Rodríguez Frómeta, one of the owners of the building and good known as “Cara Cortada”. The whole building stayed this way until their nationalization at the beginning of the 60’s. The indolence of the new management allowed that the equipment of all the establishments got lost and all became a trash place. In the second half of the decade of the 60’s the bank was dismantled and transformed in the cafeteria "America", recently rejuvenated.

After nationalized, Hotel Martí began to be exploded by the Company of Lodging and Recreation of Commerce, the hotel desk continued working in the same place, in the space that occupied the proprietor's office, were located the offices of the Cuban Wireless Corporation “Corporación Inalámbrica Cubana (CIC)” and the rest of the proprietor's protocol offices was occupied by the Labor Union of the Construction.

Between the most well-known facts in this hotel we can mention that here stayed in his second visit to Guantánamo, Fidel Castro Ruz accompanied by Efigenio Aimejeidas Delgado, to continue his trip towards Puriales de Caujerí. 

Years later already in the 80’s in a process of repair and maintenance of the Hotel Martí, a kitchen and a small comfortable restaurant was constructed in first floor, being of this form the lobby and the desk of one side and the other the new restaurant. 

At the present time the Hotel Martí is closed waiting for a process of full repair and improvement to recovering his old splendor. Once concluded this process the Hotel Martí will be operated by Islazul Hotels.