Starwood to Manage Military-Owned Cuban Hotel

American hospitality giant has taken over hotel in Havana and rebranded it to Starwood’s Four Points by Sheraton.

Starwood Hotels have just started managing a military-owned hotel in Cuba, ABC reports. The US-based hospitality giant is taking over a 186-room hotel in Havana, in the prestigious neighborhood of Miramar. This deal marks yet another step forward in strengthening economic ties between the United States and Cuba, since since Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro declared detente in Dec. 2014.

The Quinta Avenida hotel will now be part of the Starwood’s Four Points by Sheraton brand, and travelers can already book rooms through Starwood’s site. According to ABC, “the Obama administration permitted the deal with a special Treasury Department license and Starwood announced it on the eve of President Obama’s March visit to Cuba”.

Robert Muse, a Washington-based expert on US law, says that the agreement to allow such a big American corporation to operate in Cuba shows that both the Obama and Castro governments’ are eager to build as many economic ties as possible before the American president leaves office.

“It certainly goes further and faster than anyone contemplated,” Muse said. “The Cuban government proved that it can quickly and decisively deal with the U.S. hospitality sector. No reason they can’t do it again and again and again.”

State Department spokesman Mark Toner says that the fact that Starwood is now present in Havana can greatly benefit U.S.-Cuban normalization by providing American visitors with a safe, well-managed place to stay.

The hotel is being renovated and equipped with new beds, linens and other amenities. The staff has also been in training with Starwood managers over the last few weeks and will be permanently supervised by five managers under the terms of the contract.

Pablo Casal, the hotel’s general manager, says he is pleased with the quality of the hotel staff and that renovations should be complete by the end of the year. The hotel is still running at 80% occupancy and, according to Casal, the guests are always notified that the facilities are undergoing rehabilitation.

[Photo: The Hague]