Kagehitokiri

but presumably not major renovations? and franchises?

so actually happening, vs announcement of proposed construction

khabah

Thought I'd tackle all these at once.

cesco.g - Yes, the Four Points opened at the end of June [27th, I believe] to great fanfare with press blasts, photos and the like.

Kagehitokiri - Four Points online, Inglaterra now delayed for the third time and the Santa Isabel is totally MIA. Starwood signed a letter of intent to manage it as a Luxury Collection property but details were thin back during the announcement phase and nothing new has come up since.

alanslegal - You're totally right. See below feedback:

As a massive Starwood fan and follower of Cuba's hotels, I've been very excited by this announcement but I knew from the get-go that A LOT of work had to be done to bring these hotels up to international standards and so far, things aren't looking too rosy. The Four Points may be open, the logos may be on the building and Starwood paraphernalia is going into the lobby but guest reviews are still claiming that the hard product is worn and tatty. I know you [alanslegal] graciously provided photos and feedback about how the corridors are no longer full of mold, scents and peeling paint now that the walls are repainted and carpets replaced. Rooms have horrible, saggy mattresses that will apparently start being replaced with Four Points-branded bedding from September onwards and the whole property needs a few months yet to really be brought up to standard. Food is also apparently really bad; staff try hard are constantly being trained beneath a hard-working general manager who is adamant in making this hotel worthy of the Starwood portfolio.

As for the Inglaterra: I'm worried about this one. The old rooms and bathrooms are a nightmare and I'm not sure that the new gold-and-beige-and-pink ones that I'm seeing more images of speak "Luxury Collection" to me; they look more like a generic Middle Eastern living room than anything else [read: meh]! They're definitely steps in the right direction but I truly believe that they need to be decorated to a higher standard with requisite bedding and details. Based on photos I've found online, bathrooms went from being cockroach-infested mold pits to being large rooms with tasteless red and yellow tiles, a large ledge to separate the shower [bathtubs removed to create shower area instead] from the rest of the bathroom, a cheap-looking shower curtain to close the shower off and a sad-looking sink and toilet ensemble. Service, apparently, also leaves MUCH to be desired with continuous reports of rude, snappy and demotivated staff milling about. The Inglaterra may have history, an excellent location and stunning lobby going for it but I'm not sure how much work can be done over the next three months to make it worthy of the Luxury Collection.

Yes, this whole process is historic and I fully understand that the work/politics going into it are mountainous but I still don't think that opening these hotels under Starwood's channels while they're still run-down is doing the company any favors. Business may be business but as a guest, I would personally prefer it if the hotels were physically closer to being ready and brand-compliant rather than having a poor-condition option. I do, however, remain hopeful that in a few months time, this process will pay off and spur much more change and development throughout the rest of this beautiful country.

khabah

DPoulnot

Hi All -

I didn't see much around this topic so please be gentle if I missed anything.

I know the Four Points opened up a few months ago and is available to book with some combination of cash / points via SPG's website, but it's not in a great location and rumors persist of SPG opening the Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel Santa Isabel as luxury collection members.

Does anyone have any inside intel? The folks on the Gold line don't seem to know much and are perplexed that there isn't more info available given the hotels are supposed to open inside of 6 weeks. The below link is basically all I can find. Any thoughts?!

https://skift.com/2016/09/06/cuba-hotels/

Thanks!

sfozrhfco

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corpor...html?sortType=

31 Jan 2017 is estimated opening date.

DPoulnot

Awesome. Thanks!

khabah

Yikes - according to the Starwood master directory list, the Inglaterra is now listed with an opening date of December 31, 2018. Santa Isabel is MIA.

Uh oh...

khabah

alanslegal

Yes it opened in early 2016; See master thread where I have some photos there.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star...-bookable.html


Woooooh now over 19 months away till opening ... but you never know what happens in Cuban time, my 5+ year prediction might come true

Kagehitokiri

were some of these hotels open prior to becoming starwood ?

thomasito

They are; but in deep need of a proper renovation before meeting Luxury Collection standard.

James Luckard

All three hotels have been continuously operating this whole time.

The Quinta Avenida, which has been open since about 2010, simply changed names to the Four Points. I walked in the lobby and it looked nice.

The Inglaterra, when I saw it last month, looked unchanged since the announcement. Indeed, in many ways it looked largely unchanged since the Revolution. It would need to be nearly gutted to meet LC standards. At the moment it wouldn't even meet Four Points standards, though the location can't be beat and the bones are impressive. There was no sign of any renovation work starting any time soon, and I'll eat my shoe if it actually joins the LC in the near future.

The Santa Isabel is an elegant little boutique hotel, one of the best in the city. I walked around it for a few minutes. It could join the LC with minimal effort, I can't fathom why it wasn't made the priority among the three properties.

Kagehitokiri

thanks! so presumably also comments on tripadvisor etc

theres also tribute (& autograph) so will be interesting to see

same or different owners? contracts (renovations?) can take time

James Luckard

All hotels in Cuba are owned by the government.

The Santa Isabel is of higher quality because it's in Old Havana and all the hotels and restaurants and most shops in that district were, until recently, run by a company called Habaguanex, which directed all its proceeds to restoring the area's historic buildings. It was allowed to keep its earnings and use them to outfit its businesses to international standards, instead of having to return them to the state and receive only a small allotment. However Habaguanex was recently dissolved and its assets were transferred to the Cuban military:

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...p08-story.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nati...e96021722.html

I suspect that's why the Santa Isabel vanished from the "upcoming" list.

However the Four Points is also operated by the military's Gaviota arm:

http://www.gaviota-grupo.com/en/hoteles

So perhaps the Santa Isabel will reappear.

SkiAdcock

Article in Miami Herald yesterday w/ some updates on MAR/SPG in Cuba. Details in this link:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nati...168072462.html

Cheers.

LPCJr

That link unfortunately didn't work. Try this:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nati...168072462.html

SkiAdcock

That's so weird as the links look the same. But thanks so much for posting one that works so other FTers can read the article!

Cheers.