ABSTRACT
Using San Juan's Caribe Hilton and Cuba's Havana Riviera as representative case studies, this chapter examines the pivotal part modern hotel interiors played in the promotion of various and often conflicting cultural nationalistic agendas in the post-war Spanish Caribbean. In 1947, the Puerto Rican government approached Conrad Hilton, who had a reputation for running top-notch establishments, and he embraced the opportunity. The focus on tropicality as a source of national identity helped avoid more contentious issues, such as the Spanish colonial past and the influence of the United States. One of the most significant hotel projects of Cuba was the 1957 Havana Riviera, which represented the political, social and cultural realities of Cuba in the 1950s, including the overwhelming force of American tourism in Havana. The interior included a profusion of Cuban artworks engaged with themes of heritage and culture, ranging from images of carnival to more abstract depictions of Cuba's syncretic faiths.
