Javier Sanchez, Regional Director of Warwick International Hotels in Cuba

Warwick International Hotels (WIH) has put its smart money on strengthening its presence in the Caribbean and Cuba is one of the places chosen by this Group to enhance its portfolio. WIH manages two hotels on the island nation: Naviti Varadero, currently undergoing an all-out restoration process; and the 5-star all-inclusive Warwick Cayo Santa Maria Resort, with 800 guestrooms, that will open its doors a few months from now.

Nowadays, Warwick is present in the five continents, with a portfolio made up of over 55 hotels. During one of the sessions of FITCuba 2015, on Cayo Coco, Caribbean News Digital held an exclusive interview with Javier Sanchez, WIH Regional Director in Cuba, who pointed out that his Group is well positioned in the United States and Europa, and it looks forward to becoming a leading group in the Caribbean.

What are Warwick’s main base and its nearest projects?

Warwick International Hotels was created with the purchase of Warwick New York 30 years ago and it presently owns emblematic hotels in the most important cities of the United States and Europe, with All Inclusive resort hotels in the South Pacific. The company manages over 55 hotels, 22 of which in ownership; and it has recently decided to expand its operations to the Caribbean. We’re going to open a hotel in Bahamas in November and we’ve been operating the All Inclusive Naviti Varadero Hotel since November 2014, with 419 rooms. We’re planning to open Warwick Cayo Santa Maria, a brand-new 800-room hotel, within 2-3 months.

Beyond Bahamas, what other Caribbean areas are you looking at?

The Development Division is studying Colombia, Venezuela, but special attention is being paid to the expansion in Cuba.

What are the categories of your hotels?

Warwick International Hotels is mainly a company of corporate business hotels, with 5-star properties in the USA, Europe and the Middle East. It features a vacation branch in Africa and, in the South Pacific, in Vanuatu, Fiji; and Cuba is our shot in this region of the world.

How has the work in Cuba been so far?

The hotel in Varadero has been opened for four months. We have decided to temporally close it and carry out a full renovation. We’re working on our opening in Santa Maria. The experience has been interesting, complex, but we believe it’s very positive, with great prospects.

Do you have an import license or you work with importers?

Our contracts have been signed with Gaviota, so we work by means of this company.

What’s the target market for Warwick?

Warwick International Hotels has a strong presence in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe, and this market knowledge is being used to foster our new destination: Cuba.