English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
A visit to the property disproves a viral video about the sign’s removal. 14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, July 28, 2026 / The definitive departure from Cuba of the Spanish chain Meliá is certainly historic, but its letters still adorn the marquee of the Cohiba Hotel, in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución. … Continue reading “The Cohiba Hotel in Havana Still Bears the Meliá Sign – For Now”
Until now, it had continued operating six hotels belonging to Cubanacan and Gran Caribe 14ymedio, Madrid, July 21, 2026 / The Spanish chain Iberostar confirmed this Tuesday that it no longer “operates or markets any hotel in Cuba.” It told the specialized outlet Hosteltur, just hours after the also-Spanish company Melia announced that, starting this Friday, … Continue reading “Iberostar Confirms It “No Longer Operates” Any Hotel in Cuba the Same Day Melia Announces Its Withdrawal”
The hotel company attributes the decision to the “significant operational, legal, and economic-financial difficulties” in the country following U.S. pressure measures. 14ymedio, Madrid, July 21, 2026 – Spanish hotel company Meliá will cease all of its operations on the Island this Friday, July 24, due to the “significant operational, legal, and economic-financial difficulties” in the … Continue reading “Meliá to Completely End Its Hotel Operations in Cuba This Friday”
Madrid maintains a “permanent dialogue” with Spanish companies in Cuba to “help and support them at this time” 14ymedio, Madrid, June 4, 2026 / There were quite a few people in the cafeteria and lobby of the Meliá Cohiba hotel, located a few meters from Havana’s Malecón in El Vedado, this Thursday. On an island … Continue reading “Tourists and Wealthy Cubans Are Flocking to the Meliá Cohiba, One of the Few Hotels Still Open”
The decision was communicated to Gaesa on May 26, according to a company statement. 14ymedio, Madrid, June 3, 2026 / Meliá is leaving 15 of the 34 hotels it manages in Cuba, as confirmed this Wednesday through its Portuguese subsidiary, Ilha Bela. The decision has been communicated to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) – … Continue reading “Spanish Company Meliá Abandons the Management of 15 of Its 34 Hotels in Cuba”
“Spanish hotel companies could discover that their historical advantage rests on a more fragile foundation than it seemed,” says an expert 14ymedio, Madrid, May 26, 2026 — Decades of investments by Spanish companies in Cuba could be reduced to ashes if Donald Trump’s administration demands the tourism sector as spoils in its negotiations with the … Continue reading “The Dominance of Meliá and Iberostar in Cuba Is Threatened by the Possible Arrival of U.S. Investors”
The Cuban activist says the Cuban Classical Liberal Party was born as “a challenge to tyranny” and promises to prepare proposals for a democratic transition. 14ymedio, Madrid, May 21, 2026 – At the Casino de la Reina in Madrid, before nearly fifty Cubans, activist Amelia Calzadilla presented this Tuesday the Cuban Classical Liberal Party (Partido … Continue reading “Amelia Calzadilla Presents a Liberal Party in Madrid for “The Day After” in Cuba”
Executives of the Spanish chain state that domestic tourism accounts for “virtually all bookings for hotels still open” 14ymedio, Madrid, May 7, 2026 / The Spanish hotel chain Meliá Hotels International has reduced its operations in Cuba, closing approximately 50% of its hotel capacity on the island. The decision, implemented gradually during the first quarter … Continue reading “Meliá Closes 50% of Its Hotels in Cuba Due to Lack of Tourists”
The activist launches a new Cuban Orthodox Liberal Party from her exile in Madrid 14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Madrid, April 28, 2026 / From exile in Spain, Cuban activist Amelia Calzadilla has taken a step that marks a turning point in her career: the launch of her own political project, the Cuban Orthodox Liberal Party. Known … Continue reading “Amelia Calzadilla: “It Is Not Enough To Denounce, We Must Think About the Country to Come””
Other hotels suffer more than the Spanish, and the country’s revenues fall another 12%, with an occupancy rate of only 18.9% of the available rooms 14ymedio, Madrid, November 21, 2025 — “In Cuba, there are signs of recovery despite the persistence of discouraging social network campaigns.” The phrase is not from the Minister of Tourism … Continue reading “Meliá Blames “Social Network Campaigns” for the Poor Results of Tourism in Cuba”
Spanish hoteliers fear that blackouts and supply shortages will continue into 2025, which “will hamper tourism activity.” 14ymedio, Havana/Madrid, March 3, 2025 — Havana’s Iberostar Selection Hotel, located in the controversial 42-story, 155-meter-tall Tower K, is now taking reservations. During last night’s citywide blackout, the building on downtown 23rd Street was a beacon of light … Continue reading “Melía’s Cuban Earnings Fall; Iberostar Worries about Tower K’s Bad Image”
In January, during the high season, the establishment had an occupancy rate of less than 15%. 14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 4 February 2025 — In the midst of the darkness that fell on Cienfuegos this Sunday, where the blackout lasted more than 20 hours, a bright building stood out at dusk. “I have only managed … Continue reading ““At the Meliá San Carlos Hotel in Cienfuegos, a Week Can Go By Without a Single Tourist Showing Up””
The regime’s proposal to buy from farmers did not prosper due to the shortage of products 14ymedio, Havana, July 24, 2024 — The Cuban Government’s inability to meet the demand for the most basic products also affects its trading partners. The large hotel companies installed on the Island have had to import, for years, part … Continue reading “Given the Low Quality of Food in Cuba, the Spanish Hotel Company Meliá Will Import Its Products”
The Spanish firm will manage two new facilities on the Island, in Ciego de Ávila and Matanzas 14ymedio, Havana, 16 May 2024 — The poor results of tourism in Cuba do not seem to deter foreign hotel companies that do business with Havana. Despite the drop in its profits on the Island in recent years, … Continue reading “Melia Creates an Import Company to Ensure the ‘High Standard’ of Its Cuban Hotels”
The spill has also caused damage to crayfish, crabs, fish and waterfowl in the area. 14ymedio, Havana, May 25, 2024 — Meliá Trinidad Peninsula, the hotel colossus that accounted for 60% of the construction budget for 2023 in Sancti Spíritus, has caused a significant deterioration of the province’s mangroves in just six months of activity. … Continue reading “Waste from a Meliá Hotel Contaminates the Beaches and Mangroves of Trinidad, Cuba”