Q & A with Andres Pan de SoraluceVice President of Occidental Hotels

by Jose Carlos de Santiago

Occidental Hotels is determined to remaining as one of the Caribbean´s leading chains. In addition to its commitment with Cuba –where the Spanish company wants to keep on growing- the group has a handful of promising projects in the pipeline for the Caribbean and Mexico´s Pacific Coast. This much was revealed by Occidental´s vice president in this exclusive interview with Caribbean News Digital.

Q.- How much is Occidental Hotels ready to take its expansion plans in Cuba?

A.- The big piece of news for Occidental Hotels is the grand opening of the Royal Hideaway Cayo Ensenachos in Cuba. We started out on the island nation three years ago with a hotel in Havana´s Miramar neighborhood. This lodging gave us the opportunity of proving our commitment with and our ability to operate in Cuba. After that, we reached out to the province of Holguin, in eastern Cuba, and now we´re ready to unveil what could be considered the most spectacular project the company has ever launched in the Caribbean, the Royal Hideaway Cayo Ensenachos.

Q.- This is a high-end bet on the Cuban market and you´re probably trying to lure the upscale market, aren´t you?

A.- Well, not exactly. We simply try to attract a segment of the market that wants a hotel that makes a difference in its vacation plans. We believe the kind of product Occidental Hotels has to offer fits better in more demanding guests who know what they´re looking for.

Q.- Are you considering to implement the same policy in the entire Caribbean region?

A.- Yes, we apply the same policy for the whole Caribbean region. We offer three different products: the four-star Allegro, the five-star Grand, and the high-end Royal Hideaway. Unlike other brands that come up with flat fares and seek homogeneity, we believe strongly in market segmentation to give each and every customer what he wants.

Q.- What are you planning to do in the Dominican Republic as far as expansion is concerned?

A.- In the Dominican Republic our expansion policy will zero in on adding more hotels to the Grand product there. We don´t have yet a Royal Hideaway in that country, though we do have plans to open one and add more establishments under the Grand category. That´s something we call the New Generation Grand, a concept we´ve been developing in Mexico´s Cozumel, Aruba and Costa Rica, just to name a few travel destinations in the Caribbean.

Q.- Is the company planning to open a Grand-style hotel in Cuba?

A.- Sure. But, you know, that´s not exclusively up to us to decide. However, the plan is to round out the Grand category in those travels circuits and destinations on the island where we´re not yet, like Varadero Beach. We think Varadero is key for any hotel chain that wants to be a leading group in the Caribbean region. So, we´d certainly like to expand in Varadero with our Grand products.

Q.- What other Caribbean islands are you planning to invest on?

A.- As to the projects our company has for the near future, as I said at the top of this interview, we want to focus on the Mexican Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and, of course, Cuba. We believe Costa Rica is a good expansion area we need to keep in the crosshairs. But above all, we´d like to go stronger in the Mexican Caribbean and in Cuba. Make no mistakes about it.