French Spiderman scales 27-storey Habana Libre hotel without a rope or safety net!

A French daredevil who has scaled some of the world's tallest buildings conquered Cuba's famous Habana Libre hotel on Monday without ropes or a safety net. Alain Robert succeeded in climbing to the top of the hotel in about half an hour as hundreds of awed onlookers gasped and cheered from the streets below. The 50-year-old climber said his main concern was not the height of the 27-storey hotel, but its condition.


Like many city landmarks, the hotel is in disrepair after more than half a century of Communist rule on the island. "You know it can be rusty, the concrete can be damaged. So, I could break this or that so it's a bit scary," he said. Robert, known as "Spiderman," has scaled much taller structures in his career, including the former Sears Tower in Chicago, New York's Empire State Building and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Two years ago he took six hours to summit what currently is the world's tallest building, the 2,717 foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai, although for that ascent he used some safety equipment. Robert arrived in Havana last week, and has been waiting to get permission from the authorities to begin the stunt. Cuba agreed to let him go ahead, and dozens of police were on hand on Monday to keep order. In other countries, Robert has often pulled off his stunts without seeking permission, and has sometimes been arrested. The hotel is one of the Cuban capital's most iconic buildings, taken over after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and redubbed the "Habana Libre," or "Free Havana." Fidel Castro briefly set up his personal offices in the hotel after his triumphant march into the capital.