Tourist numbers to Cuba may not yet have returned to pre-covid levels but that doesn’t mean that new hotel developments on the island have ground to a halt.
With the new Melia Trinidad set to open towards the end of 2023, Melia Cuba have also just announced plans to open a brand-new hotel in Old Havana as well as taking over management of two existing properties in the capital.
The new hotel, to be known as INNSide Habana Catedral, will feature just 50 rooms and will be about as central as one can get in the city.
Cathedral Square, or Plaza de la Catedral (pictured below) is one of Old Havana’s most historic plazas and one of the most beautiful locations in the city.
In terms of taking over existing hotels, Melia Cuba will be taking over the hotels Plaza and Sevilla, both again in Old Havana.
The Plaza, which will be renamed the Hotel Plaza de la Habana, is tucked away in one corner of Parque Central, wedged between the Iberostar Parque Central & the Kempinski Manzana La Habana.
First opened in 1909, and famed for its neo-classical architecture, for as long as we have known it the Plaza has been a hotel with great potential but, due to lack of investment and poor management, a hotel best avoided.
Now, the 188 room property is set to become part of The Melia Collection, the group’s youngest luxury brand.
Not far away, alongside the Paseo del Prado, the Hotel Sevilla is another of the city’s most iconic hotels but, again, one which has suffered over many years from a lack of investment and multiple different management companies.
The hotel is set to become part of the Affiliated by Melia network and, hopefully, will benefit from more than just a lick of paint and a new sign. Only time will tell.
Away from the capital, in the far east of the island close to the resort of Guardalavaca, Melia will manage the Sol Turquesa Beach Hotel, a 531 room All Inclusive hotel on Yuruguanal beach.
