Q & A with Luigi Fidele, General Manager of the Paradisus Princesa del Mar Hotel in Cuba’s Varadero

The Paradisus Princesa del Mar hotel is the seventh lodging Spain-based company Sol Melia has opened in Cuba’s Varadero Beach, a destination this Spanish group eyes as a major steppingstone to get a much tighter grip of the sizzling Cuban market where it owns two dozen properties right now. The establishment’s General Manager told Caribbean News Digital he wants the Paradisus Princesa del Mar to be Sol Melia’s finest resort on the Caribbean island nation.

Q.- What are the main allures of the Paradisus Princesa del Mar hotel?
A.- This hotel is perched on one of Varadero’s finest beach strips and is Sol Melia’s latest addition to the super all-inclusive niche in Cuba. It’s only a 30-minute drive from the Varadero International Airport, 90 minutes away from the Havana International Airport and just a 45-minute leg from the city of Matanzas.

The Paradisus Princesa del Mar is a deluxe all-inclusive hotel designed for adults and a hot spot for weddings and honeymoons. It has 434 rooms filled with conveniences, broken down in 360 junior suites, 72 suites and a couple of presidential suites. In addition, guests are entitled to royal service, round-the-clock room service, express check-in and check-out, private cocktail, bar, concierge, outer and in-room Jacuzzi.

When it comes to cuisine, the hotel has eight restaurants ready to meet the expectations of the most demanding patrons, both in terms of quality and variety. There’s a smorgasbord-style buffet, Japanese food, exotic cuisine, Caribbean, Italian, French, Continental and grill. The nights in this wonderful neck of the woods are entertained by great performers of Cuban music. In a word, this combination of experiences can actually make you stay at the Paradisus Princesa del Mar a time to remember for forever more.

Q.- What’s the big difference between this hotel and other properties run by your company on the island nation?
A.- This hotel boasts the finest infrastructure of all Sol Melia properties in Cuba. It stands out for an all-out royal service in 48 rooms. This royal service includes private restaurant and pool, as well as a butler who caters to eight rooms tops.

Q.- What are the main target markets you’re working on?
A.- We’ve got guests coming from Canada, Germany, Switzerland and UK, though we also have customers from France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Chile, with a growing number of Russian tourists checking in lately. The hotel provides adults-only service, so guests must be 18 years or older.

Q.- What about the staff?
A.- Most employees are women, around 60 percent of the total workforce, and they are pretty young, friendly, hospital and highly motivated to do their job. We’re involved in a number of training programs in a bid to make them even better workers. The hotel chain’s front office is certainly pitching a hand in getting this much done, especially the training and upgrading of the personnel.

Q.- What are Sol Melia’s expectations with this particular hotel?
A.- The Melia Paradisus Princesa del Mar Resort & Spa should become the company’s best hotel in Cuba. Period.