Tag Archive for: Hotels

HAVANA, April 5th Some Spanish hoteliers, such as those of the Meliá chain in Cuba, have been abandoning some of their businesses on the island in recent years, which is why Cuba seeks Chinese businessmen to manage hotels and occupy that space.

This is what the academic José Luis Perelló said in an interview with the Xinhua agency when he suggested that there have already been multiple agreements between both nations and that it would be “very healthy” for Cuban tourism if this step were to be finalized.

He added that there are several Chinese companies with interests of this type on the island. For the specialist, China has a tremendous tradition in hotel management, even globally. He also said that his companies would provide Cuban companies with the inputs and raw materials necessary for national tourism.

Cuba is currently receiving tourism directly from Russia and Germany, through the Azur Air, Nordwind or Condor airlines. Tourists from Canada could join next month, through Air Canada and Transat, where restrictions on travel to the Caribbean are lifted.

New charter operations announced to Cayo Coco this summer But they will not be the only ones, because with regard to China, the aforementioned specialist himself said that Chinese tourism could play a very important role in the recovery of the leisure sector on the island.

He said that China is already an emerging market in Cuban tourism, since year after year, the number of visitors from that country grows. The number of Chinese tourists who have arrived on the island has increased in recent years, which is very clear proof of the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries, added Perelló, who keeps statistics at the Cuban Ministry of Tourism.

For example, in two decades, from 1994 to 2014, the visit of Chinese tourists increased from 622 people to more than 28 thousand. In 2018, they reached more than 49 thousand visitors from China. They are still small numbers compared to Canadians, for example, but it stands out how the number is increasing.

Hotel Meliá Trinidad Playa: 98% of execution after starting in 2017 The arrival of Chinese tourists to the Caribbean nation has a sustained rise of 23%. According to the statesman, these data reflect that the authorities and businessmen of China have an interest in issues related to leisure activities on the island.

Before the current health situation, more than 45 thousand Chinese visitors had arrived in Cuba. China ranked 13th among the countries that send tourists to the island.

r960-f05ac253e3c19349b3c8d9f3b7746e70HAVANA, Sept. 8th Hotels are overwhelmed and Cuba can’t build new hotels fast enough to cope with the boom in visitors from the US and around the world. Last year 3,524,779 people visited Cuba, a 17 per cent increase on Read more

havana-live-manzana-de-gomez

Hotel manzana-de-gomez project

HAVANA, August 8  – Cuba’s state-run Gaviota tourism agency plans by the year 2020 to nearly double its number of hotel rooms islandwide to 50,000, state television reported.

Gaviota expects to open three new hotels in Havana over the next three years as it bids to make the Cuban capital a premier urban tourism destination in the Caribbean.

The report did not say whether Gaviota’s expansion will rely on joint ventures with foreign hotel companies, which is the dominant mode of the island’s tourism industry.

One of the first steps in the expansion project will be the opening next year of a 246-room, five-star hotel in Old Havana’s historic Manzana de Gomez building.

Set for 2017 is the reopening of the legendary Hotel Packard, with 300 rooms, while 2018 will see the launch of the Prado y Malecon facility, a new seaside inn with 208 guest rooms.

Gaviota’s three existing hotels in the capital, Quinta Avenida, Memories Miramar Havana, and H10 Panorama, are all located in the exclusive Miramar neighborhood.

The project will also include new hotels in the resort of Varadero beach, some 150 kilometers (95 miles) east of Havana, and in the northern keys off the provinces of Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila and Camagüey.

Cuba received 2 million foreign tourists in the first six months of 2015 and is experiencing a boom in visitors from U.S., up 50 percent to 90,000 as a result of Washington’s easing of restrictions on travel to the island.

havana-live-hotel-iberostar_parque_central_HAVANA,  July 24  Spain is holding talks to secure hotel and infrastructure deals in Cuba as the island opens up to foreign investors, Spanish tourism minister Jose Manuel Soria said.

Cuban authorities are targeting more than $2 billion in foreign investment on an annual basis to bolster growth after five decades of global isolation, Soria said in a Bloomberg Television interview.

As part of the plan to modernize Cuba, the country is seeking to increase the number of hotel rooms and improve old infrastructure, said Soria, who also oversees Spain’s energy and industry sectors. He said he sees opportunities for Spanish companies specializing in those areas.

“The Cuban government told me of the objective for 30,000 new tourist beds,” he said. “Apart from tourism, they will need generating plants, new electricity grids, new infrastructure, roads and airports, and Spanish companies are well situated.”

Some of Spain’s biggest travel companies already operate in Cuba, including Iberia airlines, which covers the Madrid-Havana route, as well as hotel giants NH Hotel Group SA and RIU Hotels SA. Spanish exports to Cuba totaled 75.7 million euros ($83 million) in May, according to the government in Madrid.

“Despite the multiple historical and cultural ties between the two countries, diplomatic relationships with Cuba have been rather frosty for years,” said Angel Talavera, an economist with Oxford Economics in London. “This may signal a change in attitude from the Spanish government, probably concerned about losing investment opportunities and economic influence in favor of America.”

Earlier this month, Soria traveled to Cuba on an official visit accompanied by Spanish diplomats and representatives of companies including Iberdrola SA, Obrascon Huarte Lain SA and Ferrovial SA. The trip to Spain’s former colony coincided with the restoration of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-23/cuban-hotel-infrastructure-deals-are-spanish-goals-soria-says

A guide to the best hotels in Havana, featuring the top places to stay for rooftop pools, buzzing cocktail bars, Old Havana charm, sea views, cigar rooms and contemporary art.

HAVANA, July 15 Spanish poet Federico García Lorca wrote: “If ever I get lost… look for me in Cuba.” This beautiful island, one of the largest in the Caribbean, has long attracted bohemian types drawn to its grand architecture and seductive beaches.

Havana, Cuba’s capital, remains hypnotic and its hotel accommodation is a myriad delight of converted baroque palaces, modern high-rises, seaside crash pads and historic piles.

Tourism to the country is steadily on the increase and looks set to rise with Barack Obama’s announcement earlier this year of an easing of relations between the USA and Cuba.

For now the country remains largely unchanged and still offers an escape from the Western world. But international hotel chains are circling: the Kempinski group plans to open Hotel Manzana de Gómez on Parque Central in 2016.

Go now to explore this largely unspoilt corner of the Caribbean.

Hotel Terral, Havana

Named after the evening ocean breeze, Terral, this modern hotel has a prime spot on the Malecón seaside highway. The 14 rooms, all with a maritime theme and daubed in silver and blues, have ocean views.
The waterfront dining room serves up one of Havana’s best unlimited breakfast buffets (CUC$10. Or enjoy breakfast in bed at no extra cost. Double rooms from CUC$135. havana-live-Hotel-Terra

For more information, see: 00 53 7860 2100; habaguanex.cu

Hotel Saratoga, Havana

The Saratoga, the city’s most sumptuous bolt-hole, sits on the fringes of Old Havana. The rooftop pool is the perfect spot for views of the Capitol building, baroque Grand Theatre, and the Atlantic ocean. Rooms are plush with velvet furnishings, mosaic-tiled bathrooms, and framed contemporary art. Double rooms from CUC$246.
havana-live-Hotel-Saratoga

For more information, see: 00 53 7868 1000; hotel-saratoga.com

Hotel Riviera, Havana

Meyer Lansky’s swanky shimmering pleasure palace, built in 1957, has fabulous views of the Atlantic Ocean. Although the lobby has been altered, the Fifties carnivalesque murals, feathery lights, and bronze candelabras in the L’aiglon restaurant are still there for the wonderment of diners, as is the coffin-shaped pool and original Fifties diving board.

You’ll want one of the remodelled rooms in royal blue and silver with imitation Fifites furniture, restored original lamps, and rainshower bathrooms in replica Fifties pastel yellow and pink tiles. The original cabaret, the Copa Room, now features the slick dance show, Havana Queens. Doubles rooms from CUC$90.Hotel-Habana-Rivie_3363263b

For more information, see: 00 53 7836 4051; gran-caribe.cu

Hotel Raquel, Havana

An art nouveau jewel in the heart of Old Havana with a fanciful baroque facade and lobby studded with a forest of pale pink Corinthian columns.
The Raquel is known as the Jewish hotel and Jewish symbols are incorporated into the restaurant mampara doors by the artist Rosa María de la Terga. Don’t miss the tangerine and white curved skylight by the same artist. Double rooms from CUC$150.havana-live-Raquel

For more information, see: 00 53 7860 8280; habaguanex.ohc.cu

Hotel Iberostar Parque Central, Havana

Straddling two blocks, this grand hotel sits in the heart of the city facing Parque Central and the Prado promenade. Its two alfresco rooftop pools and poolside cocktail service are big attractions; the pool on top of the main building is more thoughtfully designed than the newer Torre wing.

Opt for the Torre tower for sylish rooms in smart dark-wood rooms with natty, striped fabrics. The lobby bar under a huge atrium is a great people-watching spot. Double rooms from CUC$280.iberostar-parque-central

For more information, see: 00 53 7860 6627; iberostar.com

Hotel Nacional, Havana

The Hotel Nacional, dating from the Thirties and the Grande Dame of the city’s hotels, has a commanding position on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The hotel has played host to world presidents and international glitterati.
Rooms have been remodelled in golds and maroons and the hallowed halls endow a sense of grandeur. Opt for an executive room for an upgraded breakfast.
After wandering through the dazzling Moorish-tiled lobby, settle down for an aged rum on the alfresco terrace while listening to the Cuban melodies of a live band. Double rooms from CUC$180.havana-live-hotel-nacional

For more information, see: 00 53 7836 3564; hotelnacionaldecuba.com

Hotel Tejadillo, Havana

A small historic mansion with illuminating mediopuntos (coloured half-moon windows), the Tejadillo boasts one of the best hotel locations in the city for sightseers.
Its bar, with tables and chairs spilling out on to the cobblestones, faces one side of the Cuban Baroque cathedral, and it’s a short amble to the handsome cathedral square, a modern art gallery, and Hemingway’s drinking haunt, La Bodeguita del Medio. The best rooms have balconies facing a overlooking a quiet street. Double rooms from CUC$135.havana-live-Hotel-Tejadillo1

For more information, see: 00 53 7863 7283; habaguanex.ohc.cu

Hotel Capri, Havana

The Capri, built in 1956 with mafia money, was the third mob palace erected before Fidel Castro toppled Fulgencio Batista in 1959. To tap into the Fifties vibe, you’ll want one of the junior suites with its imitation Fifties furniture, charcoal grey suede sofas, and Fifties monochrome photographs.
The rooftop pool has been remodelled – dubbed the ‘Cabaña in the Sky’ in its heyday – but sundowners with those spell-binding views of the artsy Vedado neighbourhood’s villas and skyscrapers are still de rigeur. Double rooms from CUC$150 .NH-Capri_3363196b

For more information, see: 0053 7839 7200; nh-hotels.com

Hotel Conde de Villanueva, Havana

The lofty Hotel Conde de Villanueva is a rambling old mansion studded with stunning mediopuntos on one of Old Havana’s beautifully manicured streets.
The 1864 pile with peacocks in its leafy patio is a renowned haven for smokers; the enormous master suite even features its own humidor.
The real treat is on the mezzanine: climb the wooden stairs to the cigar bunker where a sommelier and cigar roller with a combined 50 years’ experience will help you navigate your way through Cuba’s world-class smokes. Doubles rooms from CUC$135.Conde_3365743b

For more information, see: 00 53 7862 9293; habaguanex.ohc.cu

Meliá Cohiba, Havana

Behind the ugly mid-Nineties exterior is a trusted modern hotel – with its marble lobby decked in extraordinary floral artistry – and with some of the city’s top rooms and services to match.
Opt for a junior suite (rooms ending with 21) where the warm interiors are complemented by silver and mustard threads. The panoramic views of the cityscape, sea and Malecón are best enjoyed from a whirlpool tub.
A private elevator takes guests down to one of Havana’s loveliest pools, lined with Balinese sunbeds. Double rooms from CUC$300.havana-live-Melia-Cohiba-3

For more information, see: 00 53 7833 3636; meliacuba.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/11715537/Top-10-the-best-Havana-hotels.html