The Spanish Hotel Industry in Cuba: Present and Future

For many years, Spain has been one of Cuba's main trading partners. With more than 900 million euros in exportations to the island last year, the Iberian country is seen as the main investor in Cuba from the European Union and the third at the global level

Within this amount, tourism is one of the most important elements in the investment process being developed by Cuba. Now, that Spain is the guest country of honor of the International Tourism Fair of Cuba (FITCuba 2019), three of the highest-level managers of Spanish chains with important presence on the island, talk about the present and future of their companies in the largest of the Antilles.

Meliá Hotels International

For the Meliá Group, the investor adventure in Cuba began in the year 1988 when it opened the first joint venture that gave birth to the Sol Palmeras project in Varadero. At this time, Meliá has 34 establishments throughout the island, a figure that this year will amount to 38 properties with more than 15000 rooms.

Gabriel Escarrer, President of Meliá Hotels International, highlights the values that Cuba has as a tourist destination are elements that must be put in the center stage, since they weigh the island as an objective of investments. Since their point of view, the citizen security and the legal security of the island are two of these factors to be taken into account.

"Everything we were promised 32 years ago for the creation of the joint venture we built have been handed over to without thinking. That says a lot about the legal certainty that Cuba offers," said Mr. Escarrer; who recalled Cuban president Fidel Castro's words in 1988, during the opening of Sol Palmeras Hotel in Varadero, when he said that "they would never regret" to make that investment. "After 32 years, we have not regretted a single instant of that decision," added Mr. Escarrer.

The expansion of the Meliá Habana Hotel, with a new Convention Center, the total remodeling of the Sol Palmeras, as well as the Innside Cienfuegos and Innside Camaguey Hotels, are some of the projects that Meliá in Cuba is planning to undertake this year, for a total amount of 200 million euros.

Likewise, through the creation of the new joint venture "Miramar" two years ago, the construction of the Meliá Trinidad Hotel will also begin this year.

Iberostar Hotels & Resorts

The legendary President of the Iberostar Group, Miguel Fluxá, has been coming to Cuba for 27 years, a country that calls it difficult and wonderful at the same time, a country that "loves you and you love it".

Iberostar starter with two hotels in Cuba and at the beginning felt afraid to invest on the island.

Nowadays, Iberostar has 21 hotels; and has signed contracts to extend that figure to 32 properties in recent years

For Mr. Fluxá, promoting quality is essential for the development of tourism in any country, and that has been its commitment since always. Today, he is proud of his importer in Cuba, an element that allows him to guarantee the quality of the supplies in his hotels and avoid the fluctuations of refreshments he has suffered on many occasions.

"This difficult opportunity in Cuba is also an opportunity for Spain. This country is worth and we have to defend it and help it, as a loyal friend, as friends do in difficult times; and when someone is in trouble. There are two islands in the world that are simply wonderful, one is Mallorca and the other is Cuba", said Fluxá.

Barceló Hotels & Resorts

The presence of the Barceló Group in Cuba dates back 20 years ago and currently owns three hotels in Varadero that total about 1500 rooms. The next step for the Group on the island will be the construction of another 1500 rooms in the destiny of Saint Lucia, also by the constitution of a mixed company.

"The future of the hotel sector in Cuba is quite uncertain, especially for external and not internal reasons. Cuba has great tourist potential because, compared to other tourist destinations in the region, such as Punta Cana or Cancun, it has still untapped places and a number of cultural attractions in Havana that make it unique", affirms the co-chairman of the Group, Mr. Simón Barceló Tous.

"Quality, quality and quality, is the word of order. The great challenge is to renew and to renovate a large part of the Cuban hotel plant, which presents maintenance problems and it has become obsolete. Cuba's quality-price ratio, facing its competitors ' destinations in the area, is inferior. Cuba needs more quality, and this way will raise its levels of repetition. I urge to improve the quality of the Cuban hotel plant, "concluded Mr. Barceló.

For the moment, and despite the intensification of the US embargo against the island, the commitment to Cuba of the most important Spanish hoteliers remains unchanged. That is good news for Cuban tourism in the face of the beginning of its International Tourism Fair.