USA: Kirkeby Hotel, 1953.

The rear two panels of the brochure market the plan with mention of Transportation, Meals and the possibility of a stay in Miami. The center opens to show the hotel in a "pink" hue with photos of happy travelers enjoying the amenities.

Carefully handled, no flaws to note.

Very Good / No Dust Jacket As Issued. Item #012516

Hotel National de Cuba, Havana. A Kirkeby Hotel. Folded 8-panel brochure 9 inches by 4 inches closed and opened to 16 inches. Color and b/w photos laid out with captions and text. Undated, Kirkeby operated the hotel from 1943 to 1953. A handsome promotional brochure advertising 7 days and 6 nights for $41 per person. [A time machine would come in handy].

Background:
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic Spanish eclectic style hotel in Havana, Cuba, opened in 1930. Located on the seafront of the Vedado district, it stands on Taganana Hill, offering commanding views of the sea, and the city.

In 1933, after Fulgencio Batista's 4 September 1933 coup against the transitional government, it was the residence of Sumner Welles, a special envoy sent by U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to mediate the crisis and was the site of a bloody siege that pitted the officers of the Cuban army, who had been instrumental in the overthrow of Gerardo Machado (August 12. 1933), against the non-commissioned officers and other ranks of the Cuban army, who supported Batista.

Their eventual assault on the hotel, on October 2, 1933, caused extensive damage to the building, including shell and bullet holes, and would become known as the Battle of the Hotel Nacional of Cuba.

Chicago developer Arnold Kirkeby acquired the hotel in July 1943 and operated it for over a decade as part of his Kirkeby Hotels chain. In December 1946 the hotel hosted the Havana Conference, an infamous mob summit run by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky and attended by Santo Trafficante Jr., Frank Costello, Albert Anastasia, Vito Genovese and many others. Francis Ford Coppola dramatized the conference in his film The Godfather Part II. [wiki]

Price: $29.95