Starwood, Marriott close to Cuba hotel deals
Friday, 14 Mar, 2016
0
Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International have both been working on deals to open branded hotels in Cuba.
The two companies, which are soon to merge to create the world’s largest hotel company later this year, are busy arranging deals in principle ahead of President Barack Obama’s historic trip to Havana next week.
It is hoped Obama’s visit could signal more reforms to the five decade long trade embargo, allowing US hotel companies to operate legally in Cuba.
"We see many opportunities for the expansion of our brands into Cuba at this inflection point, and look forward to building long-term relationships and welcoming travelers into our hotels in this dynamic market," Starwood told the Wall Street Journal.
Marriott spokesman Thomas Marder said: "We are optimistic that we are going to get a green light soon from the US government to have hotels under the Marriott flag in Cuba."
Obama will be joined by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who recently called for a rule change to let US hotel companies compete for business fairly with the big European hotel groups.
"We’re starting to see all these investments by all these foreign hotels. We’d like it to be American hotels because that means American jobs," she said.
The WSJ reports Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson will also be traveling to Havana with the Presidential party.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026