Modern Architectures of North America

The Hotel Nacional as destination

Brochures for the hotel differed from other hotel brochures of the time in how much the brochure focused on the hotel itself. This might seem like an odd statement, but in fact countless other hotel brochures focused more on textually and visually representing the city of Havana and environs than they did on the hotel they were trying to promote. It was not uncommon to find hotel brochures that appeared more as general brochures for Havana, with the hotel's details relegated to a small paragraph of straightforward information. In comparison, the brochure for the Hotel Nacional promotes the popular activities of Havana, such as Oriental Park, yachting and beach bathing, but also suggests parallel complementary options at the hotel, such as tennis courts and the swimming pool. The Hotel Nacional was not relegated to something separate from the true purpose of traveling to Havana. Rather, the Hotel Nacional was presented as a destination in itself, one of many experiences not to be missed if one wanted to truly experience Havana. This textual approach was reinforced by the majority of images in the brochure that represented the hotel, rather than other sites in Havana.

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