Gaesa’s tourism subsidiary reopens a luxury hotel in Varadero, for adults only and with a minimum price of $363 per night
14ymedio, Havana, October 10, 2026 / Of the more than 30,000 hotel rooms that the Gaviota Tourism Group claims to have in Cuba, only 3,470 are currently operational in the main resorts in the west and center of the Island. This figure, released Friday by the company itself, leaves out of serevice nearly nine out of every ten rooms belonging to the country’s largest hotel chain, part of the military conglomerate Gaesa.
Gaviota’s Sales Director, Elia Elena Cortés, explained during a presentation at the Paseo del Prado Hotel in Havana that these units are concentrated in Havana, Varadero, Topes de Collantes, and Cayo Santa María. According to the executive, this concentration has allowed them to “improve customer service” and “guarantee supplies” amidst the severe crisis the sector is experiencing on the island.
The explanation confirms a drastic reduction compared to the group’s historical capacity. Gaviota’s official website currently states that the company has more than 30,000 rooms distributed throughout Cuba, including facilities in Holguín, Jardines del Rey, Baracoa, and Santiago de Cuba. Taking that minimum of 30,000 rooms as a reference, the 3,470 currently operating represent a mere 11.6%.
Gaviota announces the opening, on October 23, of the Playa Luxury Varadero, an 85-room establishment reserved exclusively for adults.
The contraction is due to the fact that tourism is experiencing its worst period in decades. Between January and August 2026, only 450,353 international visitors arrived on the island , 64.4% fewer than the previous year, while seven foreign chains left the country and airlines such as Air Canada, Iberia, Air France, Turkish Airlines, and Russian carriers suspended their flights amid the fuel crisis and the drop in demand.
In that context, Gaviota announces as one of the principle novelties for the 2026-2027 season the opening, on October 23, of the Playa Luxury Varadero, an 85-room establishment reserved exclusively for adults and located in Cayo Libertad, at the end of the Hicacos peninsula.
The resort itself is not new. Constructed in 2005 as part of the Marina Palace complex, it first operated as Cayo Libertad Royal Island and later, under Barceló management, as Cayo Libertad Club Premium. After the departure of the Spanish chain, it passed into the hands of Blau, which operated it as Blau Privilege Cayo Libertad, and later became part of the Posadas era under the Fiesta Americana brand. Gaviota relaunched it in August 2025 as Playa Luxury Varadero, the same name it is now using to announce its reopening.
Its own booking platform maintains all dates for that month blocked and only offers availability from November 1st onwards.
Although the premiere is now set for October 23, its own booking platform has all dates for that month blocked and only offers availability from November 1st onwards. From that time, a room costs from $363 per night.
Gaviota also announced a special edition of the Cayotonazo event, between December 31 and January 3, and assured that it maintains private and collective transfers available between its main centers, in addition to excursions and a fleet of cars at strategic points in the country.
Frank País Oltuski Rodríguez, vice president of the group, stated that they are now studying reopening other destinations during the high season, although he acknowledged that this will depend on the situation in the country and the US sanctions. “Our clients don’t deserve to lose Cuba,” he lamented.
The decline, however, had begun long before the tightening of US sanctions. By the end of 2025, hotel guests in Varadero, Holguín, and other tourist destinations were denouncing on TripAdvisor the lack of variety of food, dilapidated facilities, cleanliness problems, closed restaurants, a shortage of drinks, and failures in basic services.
The internal economic crisis worsened with power outages and transportation problems, while Cuba lost competitiveness compared to other Caribbean destinations due to its prices, difficulties in currency exchanges, and a lack of infrastructure outside of large hotel complexes. This was compounded by the slow recovery from the pandemic, the reduction in air routes and, at the end of 2025, the impact of dengue and chikungunya epidemics on the destination’s image. New sanctions this year accelerated a decline that was already underway.
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