The Hotel Plaza was founded by Captain Walter Fletcher Smith, and was built from an existing colonial building.

It was designed by Ricardo Galbis Abella, and constructed by the New York firm of Purdy and Henderson, Engineers.

The hotel was renovated in 1919 with a roof garden that included a ballroom and restaurant.

Guests at the hotel included Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth, Isadora Duncan, and Anna Pavlova.

[4] The casino was destroyed by mobs in early January 1959 as Fidel Castro's rebel army overtook Havana.