Tourism: All foreign hotel companies, including the Russian one, withdraw from Cuba

Havana/Completed this Thursday the deadline set by the US In order for foreign companies to break their ties with Gaesa and its tourism branch Gaviota, several of the main hotel chains present in Cuba, including the only Russian group on the Island, have already bowed to Washington’s demands. However, some international operators are still resisting and thus exposing themselves to the sanctions of the Trump Administration.

The Sierra Cristal hotel, in Holguín, owned by Gaviota, managed by the Russian operator Cosmos Hotel Group, has stopped accepting reservations through their official channels. Although the company has not officially announced its departure from the Island or reported on the future of the establishment, new accommodation requests can no longer be made.

On the other hand, the Indian chain MGM Muthu Hotels It keeps at least two hotels open on the Island. The Gran Muthu La Habana, owned by Gaviota, continues to partially operate and accept reservations.

During a visit to the establishment, 14ymedio He confirmed that a part remained open, although with little presence of clients, the majority Cuban. The so-called Great Muthu Tower of the hotel remains closed due to the energy crisis and the lack of visitors. The workers’ comments revolved around an eventual total closure of the hotel, which for employees could occur at the beginning of next week.

The other hotel of the Indian chain that remains open – as confirmed to this newspaper by the company’s customer service – is the Great Muthu Admiral Beachin Holguín, owned by Cubanacán, another state company that, unlike Gaviota, is not included in the list of new sanctions decreed by the United States.

The remaining hotels in Muthu are closed. Asked about the situation of its establishments in Cuba, the company attributed the closures to the energy crisis that the Island is going through. The company did not make reference to the US sanctions nor has it issued any official statement so far about the impact on its operations.

For its part, although the Catalan company Axel Hotels had declared that it would remain in Cuba, according to the Catalan environment Chronicle Globala few hours later he withdrew from his official page the only accommodation it manages on the Island. The LGBT hotel managed by this chain in Old Havana, the Telégrafo Axel, has closed website and currently cannot be reserved. The accommodation belongs to Gaviota, which places it in a similar position to other hotels affected by the US measures.

Roc Hotels managed five establishments in Cuba, but only one of them, the Roc Casa del Marwas linked to Gaviota. This hotel has disappeared from the company’s search engines and cannot currently be booked. The other four, which are available, belong to state entities not included in the US sanctions: three to Gran Caribe and one to Cubanacán.

Although other foreign chains linked to Gaviota have not announced their withdrawal from Cuba, the hotels they manage have stopped accepting reservations through their usual channels.

Another case is that of Barceló Hotel Group. Its two establishments in Cuba – Barceló Solymar and Occidental Arenas Blancas – belong to Gran Caribe and do not have known agreements with Gaviota, which places them outside the main core of the restrictions announced by Washington.

The Spanish Blau Hotels & Resorts It is another chain that is lucky enough to not suffer direct sanctions, since its three hotels in Cuba are not linked to Gaviota.

After its partial withdrawalMeliá still continues to manage 19 hotels on the Island: they are those not linked to Gaesa, among which are the Meliá Habana and the Meliá Cohiba. For its part, Iberostar It separated itself from 12 hotels, but retains the management of six that also have no relationship with the Armed Forces business group, among which are the Iberostar Parque Central, owned by Cubanacán.

Although other foreign chains linked to Gaviota have not officially announced their withdrawal from Cuba, the hotels they manage have stopped accepting reservations through their usual channels, without the companies offering public explanations about the situation.

This is the case of the Italian Domina Hotels. Its establishment in Cuba, Marina Varadero – also linked to Gaviota – does not currently accept reservations through the channels consulted. The chain’s portal on the Island, dominacaribe.comis not currently operational and displays the message “This site is no longer available.” There is also, at the moment, no official communication from the company about its situation in Cuba or about the impact of US sanctions.

This same Friday, the Canadian group Sunwing Vacations Group announced the indefinite suspension of its tourist packages in Cuba

As for the Spanish Valentin Hotels & Resorts, the three hotels it manages on the Island do not currently allow direct reservations to be made through the channels consulted. Cuba has also disappeared from the list of destinations visible on your official page. However, the chain has not officially announced its withdrawal or the cancellation of its management contracts.

A similar case is that of the four hotels in Cuba managed by the Portuguese chain Vila Galébelonging to the same Gaesa tourism group, cannot be booked on their corporate website either, although the company has not commented on the matter.

The Turkish chain ATG yes officially announced her withdrawal this Thursday, joining the wave of hotel companies that have abandoned management in Cuba. Meliá, Iberostar, Blue Diamond and the Indonesian Archipelago International (Aston), among others, have abandoned the management of hotels belonging to the tourism subsidiary of Gaesa.

In a new round of sanctions, the US Treasury Department included this Thursday on its list of entities restricted to five Cubans: the Amistur Cuba SA travel agency; the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples; the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution; the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and Minera La Victoria SA

The same list of those sanctioned this Thursday includes the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife Lis Cuesta Peraza, her son, Manuel Anido Cuesta, as well as Alejandro Castro Espín, son of Raúl Castro. Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis, son of Castro Espín, was also sanctioned.

In a new round of sanctions, the US Treasury Department included five Cubans on its list of restricted entities this Thursday.

This same Friday, the Canadian group Sunwing Vacations Group advertisement the indefinite suspension of its tourist packages in Cuba, a measure that affects the Sunwing Vacations, WesJet Vacations and WestJet Vacations Québec brands. The company did not specify the specific reasons for the decision in its statement, indicating that the measure was taken after a review of its program in Cuba and the current operating conditions in the country.

Last April, the Canadian group had announced the closure of the summer season, but just when the deadline given by Washington for foreign entities to disassociate themselves from Gaesa expires, it has indicated that the suspension will remain in force “until further notice.”

“We recognize that this news may be disappointing for clients and travel agents, especially given the strong connection that many Canadians have with Cuba and its people,” the company stated.

Canada continued to be the main source market for tourists to Cuba. In 2025, some 754,000 Canadian visitors arrived on the island, although the figure represented 12.4% less than the previous year, according to official Cuban data. This deterioration had accelerated in 2026. Between January and April, the arrival of foreign visitors fell 55.8% compared to the same period of the previous year.