Last Updated on June 7, 2020, 2:36 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Even when Cuba has an economy which is heavily reliant on tourism, currently there is only one US-managed hotel in Cuba which is managed by the Marriott.
Marriott would be forced to terminate the management of the Four Points Havana and, also like the other U.S. hotel companies, would be barred from operating any properties in Cuba because of a new directive issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
A Marriott spokeswoman has confirmed that the company will not be able to open other hotels which it had planned on opening in Cuba.
Starwood Hotels, which was by acquired by Marriott later, had opened the Four Points Havana during 2016 with the approval of the U.S. government and had also gotten its operating license renewed during 2018.
The U.S. government’s decision, which aims at cutting off the funding to entities which are linked to the Cuban military, follows the years of escalating tensions between the United States and Cuba following the attempts made by President Obama to normalize the relations between the United States and Cuba.
The silver lining for affected travellers will be that Marriott has expanded its cancellation policy greatly because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which includes making almost all reservations refundable.
“If a hotel closes, all affected reservations will be refunded, including ones within 24 hours before arrival.” Marriott’s updated cancellation policy would include the note as mentioned above regarding the hotel closures, and it would apply in this case.
The opening of the Four Point Havana is considered to be a landmark deal because it represented the first time when a U.S. managed hotel had opened in Cuba since the end of the revolution in the year 1959.
While it is still unclear that what will happen to the property after the Marriott winds down its operations in August, any travellers with upcoming reservations at the Four Points Havana have been suggested to take advantage of Marriott’s flexible cancellation policy and rebook themselves at a different property.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
