Occidental Hotels & Resorts to Expand Cuba Portfolio

Giving its Occidental, Allegro and Royal Hideaway brands a new lease on life, and tripling reservation volumes through its direct channels are two of Occidental Hotels & Resorts’ top priorities for the ongoing year as the hotel chain has announced the signing of a new management deal with Cuba.

Company Director General Jaume Buxó said Occidental is currently negotiating another management contract to run a Cuban-owned hotel in the keys. This is a 250-room lodging that will be rebranded in line with the company’s standards.

After slashing its portfolio down to eight assets and cutting a major refinancing deal, Occidental Hotels has not set out to get back on the expansion track.

The hotel chain will fork over 19 million euros to upgrade existing facilities that are shy of full competitiveness. This expansion strategy –comprised in the 2012-2016 Negotiation Plan- is focused precisely on vacation resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Jamaica, where the company is yet to run its first hotel- is also on the company’s list of possible travel destinations. In the same breath, Occidental Hotels wants to further develop its Estelar Hoteles resort line in Colombia.