TORONTO — Melia Cuba is pushing ahead with expansion plans, opening five hotels on the island in Q1 2018 and adding two new flagship hotels in Varadero and Cayo Santa Maria by the end of the year.

With just 409 rooms in total, the five Q1 properties are small in size but big on heritage and charm, and represent a new style of hotels for Melia in Cuba. All are small to medium-size hotels, set inside exceptional historical buildings in privileged locations.

The five hotels are located in the heritage cities of Cienfuegos and Camaguey. In Cienfuegos, there’s the Hotel La Union, Hotel Jagua and Hotel Meliá San Carlos. In Camaguey, Melia is opening the Hotel Colón and Gran Hotel.

By the end of 2018 Meliá Hotels International will also have opened two new flagship hotels in Varadero and Cayo Santa Maria. The Melia Internacional, Varadero, will have 934 rooms and the Paradisus Los Cayos, Cayo Santa María will have 802 rooms. This will take the total of new, superior quality rooms opened by Meliá Hotels International in Cuba this year to 2,145+.

The Spanish hotel group is also set to open Hotel INNSIDE Camaguey, as well as three hotels in the city of Trinidad before 2020. The properties in Trinidad will include Meliá Trinidad, Meliá Punta Ancón and the innovative Sol House Ancón, which is the result of the conversion of the current Hotel Ancón.

Meliá Hotels International says it has aligned its plans with the Cuban strategy to diversify its tourism industry, offering “prestigious hotels with familiar brands in historic cities, along with exciting tours and experiences”. It aims to help increase the number of visitors to these areas and to prolong average length of stay.

“Within the framework of our strong commitment to helping improve Cuban tourism, we have the opportunity to promote unique cities with exceptional tourism potential, such as Cienfuegos, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba, or Havana,” says Gabriel Escarrer, Vice President and CEO of Meliá Hotels International. “This guarantees the internationally acknowledged Meliá service and quality standards from the east to the west of the island. The hotels in the new destinations, which are already in operation, will take on our Meliá brand (Meliá La Unión, Meliá San Carlos, Meliá Colón, Meliá Gran Hotel) and INNSIDE by Meliá brand (INNSIDE Cienfuegos Jagua and INNSIDE Camagüey) once they have been fully adapted to the brand standards.”

Here’s a closer look at the new hotels…

CIENFUEGOS

Melia San Carlos (rendering)

Meliá San Carlos

The hotel building is an architectural treasure and an important part of Cuban heritage. After a significant renovation it now reopens as Meliá San Carlos. Located in the historical heart of the city of Cienfuegos, it has 56 modern and comfortable rooms, a lobby bar and a roof garden with outstanding views over the city, says Melia.