Haiti: Port-au-Prince – El Rancho Hotel
El Rancho hotel, located in Petion-Ville, the supposedly upscale suburb of Port-au-Prince, has a long and notable history that dates back many decades. Originally built in the 1950s, quickly gained a reputation for its elegance and become one of the most prestigious and luxurious hotels in Haiti – attracting celebrities, diplomats, and wealthy travelers from around the world. It reached its high point in the 1960s and peak of Haiti as a tourist destination and a location of diplomatic gatherings, parties, and fashion shows. But as political instability, economic decay, and natural disasters descended on the country, the El Rancho quickly went into a deep decay and neglect. A group of foreign investors bought it in early 2000s and restored to its full original charm hoping for a revival of tourism, which never materialized. Finally the Spanish NH group bought it on the cheap and again renovated to the max in 2013. Up to this date, it is still the top hotel in the city and the country.
