Haiti’s Historic Hotel Oloffson Burned Down by Gangs in Port-au-Prince

The iconic Hotel Oloffson—a symbol of Haitian culture and a refuge for artists, writers, and thinkers for over a century—was burned to the ground on the night of July 6, 2025, in Port-au-Prince. Members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition carried out the destruction, part of a growing wave of violence that has overtaken the capital and much of the country.

A Cultural Landmark Lost to Fire and Chaos

Once described as a living museum of Haiti’s creative and political history, the gingerbread-style hotel was more than lodging. It was also a sacred space. Built in the late 19th century, the Oloffson hosted legends from Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor to Graham Greene, who immortalized the hotel in his novel The Comedians. Its creaky balconies and folk music-filled Thursday nights became a heartbeat of Haitian cultural life.

Despite surviving dictatorships, coups, and even the 2010 earthquake, the Oloffson could not withstand the unchecked rise of armed gangs that have engulfed over 90% of Port-au-Prince.

The Final Blow

The hotel had resisted months of escalating gang threats. But over the weekend, during a firefight between gangs and Haitian police in the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood, the Oloffson was set ablaze. Drone footage confirmed its complete devastation.

Richard Morse, the hotel’s longtime manager and frontman of the band RAM, said on X: “They can only burn it once.” Morse, who had operated the hotel since 1987, turned it into a hub for Vodou-infused folk rock and a safe space for journalists and intellectuals.

“This was not just a building,” said cultural promoter Gaelle Delaquis. “It was our Thursday Mass, a symbol of unity, of Haitian excellence. They destroyed our city, but not our spirit.”

A Long Legacy, Now in Ashes

Originally a private home of the Sam family, the structure became a hospital during the U.S. occupation in the early 1900s. Later, it was converted into a hotel in 1935. In the 1960s, New Yorker Al Seitz turned it into a cultural landmark. Celebrities and foreign correspondents mingled, drank rum sours, and watched Haiti’s story unfold in real-time.

The hotel’s guest rooms bore the names of past icons, and Greene’s fictional “Trianon Hotel” in The Comedians was based on the Oloffson. The 1967 film version starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor was filmed there.

Morse maintained the space even as Haiti’s tourism industry crumbled. Weekly shows continued until gang warfare in 2023–2025 made the area nearly impossible to access.

A Broader Crisis

The loss of the Oloffson is part of a larger unraveling. Gangs have burned down The Lodge, another major hotel, and torched historic homes in neighborhoods like Pacot and Kenscoff. The U.N. reports that 7,000+ people are displaced in regions like Lascahobas, which saw fresh attacks this month. The humanitarian crisis is spiraling, and violence is spreading beyond the capital.

Morse, now mourning the ruins of his hotel, says he plans to rebuild. “I’ll do everything I can to get it back on its feet,” he said. “I feel free to finally speak out again.”

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