Roberto Mendoza was a wealthy Cuban contractor and sugar planter who was a business associate of President Batista Mario Mendoza was a lawyer Orseck was an attorney from New York Johnson was a senator in the Nevada state legislature and Jones was a former lieutenant governor of Nevada who had ownership interests in a number of Las Vegas casinos. The casino in the hotel was leased for $1 million a year to a group consisting of Roberto "Chiri" Mendoza, his brother Mario Mendoza, Clifford "Big Juice" Jones, Kenneth F. The ceremony was followed by a luncheon, with speeches by Hilton and Aguirre, and a huge gala dinner and ball in the hotel's grand ballroom. A formal blessing ceremony was held in the hotel's lobby on March 22, 1958, attended by Cuba's First Lady, Marta Fernandez de Batista Francisco Aguirre, head of the catering workers' union José Suárez Rivas, Minister of Labor and other dignitaries.
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Hilton was joined by 300 invited guests, including socialite Virginia Warren, daughter of Chief Justice Earl Warren renowned Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper actress Terry Moore actress Dorothy Johnson married radio hosts Tex McCrary and Jinx Falkenburg actress Linda Cristal dancer Vera-Ellen actor Don Murray actress Dolores Hart ABC network President Leonard Goldenson and journalist Leonard Lyons. The Habana Hilton opened with five days of festivities, from March 19–23, 1958, with Conrad Hilton himself in attendance, joined by his companion, actress Ann Miller. The hotel also featured artwork commissioned from some of the most important Cuban modern artists of the day, including an enormous mosaic mural by Amelia Peláez over the main entrance and a tiled wall mural by René Portocarrero in the second-floor Antilles Bar overlooking the pool terrace. It boasted 630 guest rooms, including 42 suites an elegant casino six restaurants and bars, including a Trader Vic's and a rooftop bar a huge supper club extensive convention facilities a shopping arcade an outdoor pool surrounded by cabanas and two underground garages with a capacity of 500 cars. When it was completed, the Habana Hilton was Latin America's tallest and largest hotel. “Batista considered the Habana Hilton among his proudest achievements, its huge blue-lit rooftop ‘Hilton’ name announcing to the world that the eminent Conrad Hilton had confidence in Cuba’s future – that the country was a safe place in which to invest – and that tourists could now find in Havana the modern comforts they expected in a top international resort.” Grand opening The architectural historian Peter Moruzzi, author of Havana Before Castro, notes what the Hilton meant to Batista:
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The hotel was constructed by the Frederick Snare Corporation. Arroyo was the Minister of Public Works under Batista. Becket designed the 27-story Habana Hilton in collaboration with Havana-based architects Lin Arroyo and Gabriela Menéndez. It was operated by the American Hilton Hotels International group and was designed by the well-known Los Angeles architect Welton Becket, who had previously designed the Beverly Hilton for the chain. It was built as an investment by the Caja de Retiro y Asistencia Social de los Trabajadores Gastronomicos, the pension plan of the Cuban catering workers' union, with additional financing from the Banco de Fomento Agricola e Industrial de Cuba (BANFAIC).
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The Habana Hilton was constructed at a cost of $24 million, under the personal auspices of President Fulgencio Batista. Puerto rican and korean mix.History Design and construction