Melia Hotels International Keeps Putting Smart Money on Cuba

At a time when Meliá Hotels International is celebrating a quarter century of successful operations in Cuba, the company plans to further beef up its investment on the island nation, said Meliá Hotels International PR and Communications chief Elvira Ameijeiras on Cuban television.

With 27 hotels scattered in eight different travel destinations across Cuba, for a grand total of 13,000 guestrooms, Meliá Hotels International has newbuilds and refurbishments in the pipeline, especially in Varadero and the offshore keys.

According to Mrs. Ameijeiras, her company will open the Family Concierge service at the Paradisus Varadero Hotel, a very exclusive service especially designed for family travel that’s slated for later this year or early 2016.

The larger-than-life International Hotel, also in Varadero, is currently undergoing an all-out remodeling process to be reflagged as Meliá International. In the same breath, the Majorca-based hotel chain is working on a couple of additional projects to open the Paradisus Cayo Santa Maria and the Meliá Trinidad in central Cuba, Mrs. Ameijeiras was quoted as saying in her interview on Cuban morning news show.

But the most anticipated and ambitious project of all, according to the PR director, is the Meliá Jardines del Rey. This huge 1,176-room nestled in one of the keys off the Ciego de Avila province in central Cuba, will be the company’s largest hotel on the island Cuba and around the world.

As Mrs. Ameijeiras explained, Meliá Jardines del Rey, located on picture-perfect Flamenco Beach, opened the east wing with little more than 600 rooms on December 24, 2014. Meliá Jardines del Rey will feature a Level area, the company’s most exclusive and customized service.

The hotel will be fully operational in May this year, on time to host the upcoming edition of FITCuba, the island nation’s largest travel and tourism fair.