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Three new SPG hotels to open in Cuba!
Fantastic to hear that Starwood is to bring three established Cuban hotels under the Starwood umbrella making it the first U.S. based hospitality company to enter the market in nearly 60 years.
Long-time Havana icon, Hotel Inglaterra, will join The Luxury Collection and Hotel Quinta Avenida will become a Four Points by Sheraton. The famed Hotel Santa Isabel will also become a member of The Luxury Collection. *********************************** A national landmark just steps from the Gran Teatro de La Habana in the heart of downtown Havana, Hotel Inglaterra first opened its doors in 1875 and is home to the famed Gran Café el Louvre, which has hosted artists and travelers for over a century. Upon completion of the preservation and conversion projects later this year, the hotel will offer 83 rooms and reopen under The Luxury Collection banner. Hotel Quinta Avenida in Havana’s Miramar district will rebrand as Four Points by Sheraton Havana later this year. The hotel will cater to business travelers with approximately 186 rooms and state-of-the-art meeting facilities. Hotel Santa Isabel, will become a member of The Luxury Collection. Situated on the Plaza de Armas and overlooking Havana Harbor, the Santa Isabel will offer Starwood guests a conveniently situated respite in the heart of Havana’s historic city center, with 27 rooms, including 11 suites. |
I know they've been negotiating for a while, but do you have a link to the official press release?
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
(Post 26356979)
I know they've been negotiating for a while, but do you have a link to the official press release?
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
(Post 26357502)
Most of the references in the press release are in the future tense. In general, it looks like nothing until "later this year".
Originally Posted by Starwood Press Release
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (“Starwood”) (NYSE:HOT) today signed three new hotel deals in Cuba, marking the first U.S. based hospitality company to enter the market in nearly 60 years. This announcement follows receipt of authorization from the U.S. Treasury Department for Starwood to operate hotels in Cuba. Long-time Havana icon, Hotel Inglaterra, will join The Luxury Collection and Hotel Quinta Avenida will become a Four Points by Sheraton. Both hotels will undergo renovations before raising their new brand flags later in 2016. The Company also announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent to convert the famed Hotel Santa Isabel into a member of The Luxury Collection.
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I understand that USA regulations currently prevent earning airline miles on flights to/from Cuba. I wonder whether there's a similar regulation affecting hotel program points and elite benefits. If so, are these restrictions expected to end soon?
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
(Post 26357599)
are these restrictions expected to end soon?
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
(Post 26357599)
I understand that USA regulations currently prevent earning airline miles on flights to/from Cuba.
Re hotels, I'd like to see the Nacional renovated and become a Starwood. What a place, -- so full of history, too. |
All Cuban hotels are state-owned so the deal puts a major U.S. corporation (for now!) directly in business with the Communist government under a special U.S. license that pushes Washington's legal dismantling of the Cuban trade embargo further than ever before.
Starwood's chief of Latin America operations, Jorge Giannattasio, has said the company will invest millions to renovate and rebrand the Quinta Avenida, Santa Isabel and Inglaterra hotels, train and hire new staff and reopen the hotels by the end of the year. Cuban hotels are notorious for their ramshackle furnishings and poor service. Cuban law prevents widespread direct hiring of Cuban workers by foreign firms. Giannattasio has said the Cuban Starwood hotels would be refitted with everything from new mattresses to improved kitchen equipment and safety measures and managed by teams of expatriate Starwood employees. |
Originally Posted by Dr. HFH
(Post 26357634)
Likely to change very soon. My guess is that no one has thought of or dealt with that piece yet.
Re hotels, I'd like to see the Nacional renovated and become a Starwood. What a place, -- so full of history, too. Seeing as this is "just the beginning" for Starwood in Cuba, I wouldn't be surprised to see more hotels in other cities like Santiago de Cuba and Santa Clara and resort destinations like Cayo Coco - I can easily see a Le Méridien on the beach or a Sheraton in a city center. Such excellent news. Can't wait for Starwood to upgrade the Cuban hotel scene and kickstart a new wave of development for this awesome country. khabah |
Wow:
Such deals would normally be prohibited under the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, but Starwood received special permission from the U.S. Treasury Department last week. |
Such deals would normally be prohibited under the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, but Starwood received special permission from the U.S. Treasury Department last week. The news comes on the eve of President Obama's visit to the island - the first by a US president in almost 90 years. |
Starwood will be Chinese soon so they do not care about any U.S regulations or whatever. :) They look into the future. :)
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Interesting. I would have expected at least one to be branded as Tribute, so that it would stay roughly as is, particularly a hotel with only 27 rooms!
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