US EditionPolice Under Siege as Fire Destroys Port-Au-Prince’s Hotel Oloffson
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI, JUL 8 – The Hotel Oloffson was destroyed amid escalating gang violence as 90% of Port-au-Prince falls under gang control, with over 4,000 homicides reported this year, according to the United Nations.
- The historic Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was reduced to ashes by fire on July 5, 2025, amid gang violence.
- The fire occurred amid intensified confrontations between gangs and law enforcement, at a time when a dominant gang alliance was expanding its influence across the capital.
- The hotel was a cultural landmark managed by Richard Morse since the late 1980s, hosting artists and resisting Haiti's turmoil until it closed in 2022 due to insecurity.
- Morse expressed sorrow that the hotel, a symbol of Haitian cultural heritage, was destroyed overnight by destructive acts committed by some Haitians, and he mentioned that due to ongoing violence, he has been unable to visit the property since April.
- The destruction symbolizes a devastating loss to Haiti’s cultural and historical heritage and highlights the country's deepening security and humanitarian crises.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Police under siege as fire destroys Port-au-Prince’s Hotel Oloffson
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The flames that consumed the historic Hotel Oloffson on July 5 were more than an architectural loss—they signaled how far Haiti’s security crisis has spiraled. For months, the once-thriving Carrefour-Feuilles neighborhood had been a frontline in gang takeovers. When smoke rose from the Oloffson, police were already fighting deadly battles nearby. Between the evening of July 5 and the morning of July 6, videos of the hotel in fla…
Georgia Public Broadcasting
nprHaiti's iconic Hotel Oloffson, long a cultural beacon, destroyed by gang violence
The Hotel Oloffson in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, long a haven for artists and writers, poets and presidents, a symbol of Haiti's troubled politics and its storied past, has been destroyed by gangs.
Hartford Courant
NBC NewsGangs in Haiti burn beloved Gothic gingerbread hotel that rose to international fame
By DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s once-illustrious Grand Hôtel Oloffson, a beloved Gothic gingerbread home that inspired books, hosted parties until dawn and attracted visitors from Mick Jagger to Haitian presidents, was burned down by gangs this past weekend. Hundreds of Haitians and foreigners mourned the news as it spread across social media, with the hotel manager on Monday confirming the fire on X. Even tho…
Gangs destroy Haiti’s beloved ‘gingerbread’ Grand Hotel Oloffson
Haiti’s once-illustrious Grand Hotel Oloffson, a beloved gothic gingerbread home that inspired books, hosted parties until dawn and attracted visitors from Mick Jagger to Haitian presidents, was burnt down by gangs over the weekend.
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