Cuba Offers Hotel Management to Local and Exiled Investors as Foreign Chains Withdraw and Tourism Collapses

Cuba’s government said it is open to offering the management of its hotels to Cuban investors, both residents and those living abroad. President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the new management policy in an interview with a Spanish journalist that was broadcast Friday on the official presidential channel.

“There will be hotels that we will have to operate more with Cuban management than with shared management with foreign entities,” Díaz-Canel said.

“We are proposing different business models. ” “We have also offered these business opportunities to Cubans residing abroad,” he added. Melia announced on May 26 that it will cease operations at 15 of the 34 hotels it manages in Cuba.

U.S. announcement of new sanctions while upholding an energy embargo. Canadian-owned Royalton and Spain’s Iberostar made similar moves to limit or suspend operations in Cuba.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding sanctions against Cuba weeks before Melia’s announcement.

(GAESA), a business conglomerate operated by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. GAESA was created in the 1990s. GAESA owns a wide range of businesses including car rentals, retail stores, and transportation companies.

GAESA is Melia’s partner in hotel management through its subsidiary Gaviota. Melia operated some 14,000 rooms in Cuba until its partial withdrawal. 3 million visitors in 2019.

The number of tourists arriving in Cuba in the first quarter of 2026 was 48% lower than in the same period in 2025. Only 298,000 tourists arrived in Cuba during January, February and March of 2026. 573,300 international visitors arrived in Cuba during the first quarter of 2025.