Another enigmatic 25-story hotel rises on Havana’s Malecón

Havana/After more than three years of work, the tower that stands on 1st and B, in Havana’s El Vedado, continues to grow like a strange body in the middle of a neighborhood that is falling apart. The 25-story building is visible from several blocks around and already dominates the coastal strip near the Malecón. The structure seems practically finished on the outside, but its interior continues in full work.

A technician present on site assures 14ymedio that “the foreign part is from some French people,” and that Indians also work on the site, although – as he said – “more as labor.” “They leave in December, because their work has already concluded,” added the expert. The architectural dossier of the project itself confirms that the French construction company Bouygues – the same one that has built most of the luxury hotels in Cuba – appears as the main builder of the building. This explains the presence of French and Indian workers on the site, as well as the high level of finish.

The French company Bouygues Bâtiment International, a discreet protagonist of the hotel boom in Cuba, has a history of controversy. The most recent episode was documented by this means after the passage of Hurricane Melissa. While more than 76,000 homes remain damaged and thousands of families remain without help, the Antilla Modular Plant, operated by Bouygues, continues to operate at full capacity to manufacture complete room modules for luxury hotels. Added to this was official censorship, when even state media were warned to “forget” about the plant after trying to investigate its activity.

Unlike other hotels openly promoted by the military conglomerate Gaesa, this tower lacks advertisements, billboards or any public indication that identifies its investor, construction company or future operator. The architectural project, released a few years ago by the studio that designed it, describes a four-star hotel, with about 520 rooms, common areas distributed on a three-level basement and high-standard services, including a swimming pool and panoramic terrace.

The technician interviewed by 14ymedio He estimates that the work still has “a year or so more” ahead of it. The workers are now in the phase of plating bathrooms and floors, although “all the technology, electricity, elevators are missing.” If he repeated something several times, it was that the building will have “state-of-the-art technology, like that of Tower K,” one of the star projects of state investment. In “modernity,” he says, “there is Tower K and then this one.”

When asked what the hotel will be called, the answer was as predictable as it was disturbing: “The name is not known, they will reveal it when it is finished.” It is striking that, despite its size and visual impact on the area, no official media has published progress, deadlines or characteristics of the property.

Aware of the contrast, a neighbor who was passing by the building commented, laughing: “This is tremendous, asere.” The man, who did not give more details, was alluding to the paradox of seeing a luxury hotel emerge while the rest of Havana collapses. The tower on 1st and B is raised with cranes, foreign labor and no shortage of materials, but the houses that surround it show crumbling facades and propped up balconies. A few meters from the building, the buildings have notable leaks and cracks. In a nearby garden, two men were sleeping among the parched grass. The image, crude and everyday, reflects the abyss between the official discourse about the “blockade”, supposedly responsible for the destruction of the national economy, and the uncontrollable fever to build luxury tourist projects, precisely when the hotel occupancy rate is barely 20%.

The skyscraper on 1st and B advances in front of a neighborhood that cannot maintain its basic infrastructure. A work that brings Indian and French workers, while many Cubans look for alternatives to survive. Modernity comes, but not for everyone.