The New York firm McKim, Mead and White designed the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, and Purdy and Henderson were the engineers. The National City Bank of New York financed it. It was constructed in fourteen months and opened on December 30, 1930. The article describes the style as Spanish eclectic, with Sevillian, Roman, Moorish and Art Deco elements and a Palladian-style entrance portico. The structure is a steel frame, with coral stone decoration. The plan is based on two Greek crosses, so most rooms have ocean views.
The Battle of the Hotel Nacional took place in 1933 after Batista's coup, and it caused extensive damage. The Havana Conference was held there in 1946. The Cuban government nationalized the hotel in June 1960.
It reopened to tourists after 1991. It is an operating hotel, and wartime tunnels open on guided tours.
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