Spanish Hotel Chain Meliá Is Leaving Cuba because of Legal and Financial Hurdles From US Sanctions
The chain said U.S. sanctions on Cuba’s tourism ministry and GAESA made its hotel operations legally and financially untenable, after arrivals fell 48%.
- On Tuesday, Spanish hotel chain Meliá announced it will completely shutter its operations in Cuba, ending decades of presence on the island following new United States sanctions.
- The July 13 blacklisting of Cuba's Ministry of Tourism triggered the decision, compounding previous management suspensions involving GAESA, a Cuban military-business conglomerate sanctioned in May.
- Meliá once operated 34 five-star hotels across the island, a symbolic presence since tourism reopened more than 35 years ago following the Soviet Union's collapse.
- Tourism arrivals in the Caribbean dropped 48% to 298,000 this year, while daily blackouts lasting more than 20 hours and critical shortages intensify the economic crisis.
- Paolo Spadoni, associate professor at Augusta University in Georgia, told The Associated Press that United States policies are "methodically and systematically closing every source of foreign currency for the Cuban government.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Grupo Meliá Closes Operations of 34 Hotels in Cuba Under the Impact of Sanctions and Economic Crisis
The Spanish hotel group Meliá announced, on Friday (24), the end of all the operations of its 34 hotels in Cuba, as a result of the hardening of the sanctions of the United States and the growing economic crisis on the island. The company pointed out operational, legal and financial difficulties as the determining factors for its departure from the country, where it maintained a strong presence since 1990. The total withdrawal consolidates the a…
The Spanish chain Meliá Hotels International announced the complete cessation of its operations in Cuba, closing its 34 establishments after the sanctions imposed by the United States.
Meliá Exits Cuba as US Sanctions Bite Tourism
Latin America · Business Key Facts —Meliá’s Cuba footprint. The group managed 34 hotels with 14,053 rooms across the island. —Exit date. All management services end on 24 July 2026. —Reason given. US sanctions made minimal operational stability impossible. —Trigger event. President Trump’s Executive Order 14404 designated military conglomerate GAESA on 1 May 2026. —Tourism […] The post Meliá Exits Cuba as US Sanctions Bite Tourism appeared first…
After the tightening of the sanctions against Cuba by the United States, Meliá Hotels has decided to stop operating in this country definitively from 24 July. As a result, Meliá will double its commitment to the destinations on which its Expansion Plan for 2026 focuses.«In this ... Continue reading "Meliá doubles its commitment to Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean after burying its stage in Cuba"
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