Hotel Ambos Mundos, a Havana classic, gained fame by the long stay of the writer Ernest Hemingway in one of its rooms.

HISTORY

According to the records, in the place of the Hotel Ambos Mundos, there was the good-looking residence of Carlos Benitez, built in 1835. In 1842 George Washington Halsey opened the first photo studio of Havana, called Retratos al Daguerrotipo (Portraits to Daguerreotype) in this building. The daguerreotype is an old photographing technique in which the positive image is obtained from a copper plate coated with silver iodide. In 1923, the Spanish merchant Antolín Arias Blanco suggested to demolish it and to construct a new building with five floors at its place that would be destined to a modern hotel, so that the same year, the construction of the hotel began under the direction of the architect Luis Hernández Savio. Initially, the hotel served with its first and second floors that had 19 rooms with private bathrooms on each. In 1924 the hotel was expanded by the addition of the third and fourth floors to the building. The third floor had 18 rooms, and the fourth floor had 4 rooms and a department for private housing.

Before the stay of Hemingway, the hotel was one of the meeting places of the artists, writers, and musicians, i.e. of the retail group, on every Saturday. The retail group consisted of young people that were featuring the petty bourgeoisie. They had achieved a national and international prestige because they promoted the break against the cultural backwardness, existed in Cuba, although they did not belong to any political party or organization.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY AND HOTEL AMBOS MUNDOS

Hotel Ambos Mundos had a special place in the life of Ernest Hemingway, as the famous writer wrote three of his excellent works in this hotel, when he stayed during his visits to Havana from 1932 to 1939. These are Death in the Afternoon (1932), Green Hills of Africa (1935), and To Have and Have Not (1937). The days that he spent in the hotel, had also great influence on writing of his excellent work For Whom the Bell Tolls. He wrote the first part of this novel in the room 511 (1939). He described the Hotel Ambos Mundos as “a good place to write”. The modest room 511 of this solid, square shaped hotel became a home and a place of study and work for the writer, and also a hideout in general. He had discovered the Hotel Ambos Mundos, when he had returned with his friends from a fishing trip around Key West. Hemingway finally checked out of Hotel Ambos Mundos in 1939, when he purchased a permanent Cuban residence in Finca Vigia.

The room 511 is converted to a small museum now, dedicated to the author.

ROOM 511

The room 511 that has almost a triangular shape, opens to the city through two large windows, offering a beautiful panoramic view of the city, so that the writer could see all the monumental buildings of the Old Havana up to the castle complex and the bay. The original furniture, a few ceramic plates, his vest, his shoe etc., all have been preserved in the room. In the center of the room, there is a small square table and a chair. On the table lies Hemingway’s weapon, his typewriter, protected in a glass box.

The replica of his portrait, showing him as Kid Balzac, is hung on the wall of the small bedroom with a single bed. This satirical painting of Hemingway was done by his good friend and fishing companion Waldo Peirce in 1929. In Peirce's painting, Hemingway appeared to be a slimmed-down version of 19th century French writer Honore de Balzac. Hemingway was always comparing himself to famous writers and he probably wanted to highlight this by doing in jest. The original is preserved in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

In a glass cabinet the three books that he finished in this room and some books about the writer are exhibited.

There is usually a well-informed guide on hand to answer any question about the days of Hemingway in Havana. Keep in mind that at maximum four people are allowed in the room.

THE HOTEL

The walls of the lobby of the hotel are covered with photos of the writer, reflecting his colorful life. One photo on the wall shows Ernest Hemingway and Fidel Castro shaking hands and laughing. This photo was taken when they met for the first time during a fishing contest held in the author’s honor in 1960. Another photo before the exit shows the author with his third wife, Martha Gellhorn.

Beside Hemingway, there are certain other reasons to have a look at the hotel; for example, the pinkish hotel’s rooftop-garden restaurant and bar are one of the best places where the visitor can enjoy an excellent view of the historic center of the city. The original 1930s cage-elevator, quite charming, but slow, and the first floor-piano bar, which becomes quite popular at night, are the other must-see’ of the hotel.