Cash-strapped Cuba attracts wealthy tourists with five-stars hotels, spas and luxury brands
Cuba used to depend on aid from its oil-rich ally Venezuela. But with Venezuela in turmoil, opening luxury hotels is"a new stage," but also"a necessity," Cuba's Tourism Minister says as his country scrambles for other revenue sources.
The exclusive camera store and other boutiques featuring A-list brands like Versace and Armani are located in a shopping gallery on the ground floor of the swanky Gran Hotel Manzana.The mere existence of the shops certainly seems incongruous in a country that has been governed as a one-party communist state since 1959, and where the average wage is $30 a month.
"It's the first hotel with a 1,000-square-metre spa," he said. All the rooms are at least 40 square metres , with prices ranging from $370 for a basic room in low season to $5,000 for the presidential suite. Having traveled around the island nation for three weeks, she and a friend had decided to spend their last few days relaxing by the hotel's rooftop pool.
The Kempinski group, which hopes to open two or three more hotels in Cuba, is of course not the only chain to show an interest in the ultra-luxury market.French hotel giant Accor is planning on opening its own luxury establishment on the Malecon, Havana's famous seaside boulevard, in September.The employees' outfits will be designed by Spanish fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S. threatens tighter financial restrictions on CubaThe Trump administration on Monday threatened to put additional financial restri...
Read more »
US reportedly to allow lawsuits against some foreign firms doing business in CubaThe Trump administration is preparing to allow lawsuits in U.S. courts for the first time against some foreign companies doing business in Communist-ruled Cuba using properties confiscated from Cuban-Americans and other U.S. citizens, according to people familiar with the matter.
Read more »
U.S. to allow lawsuits against some foreign firms doing business in Cuba: sourcesThe Trump administration is preparing to allow lawsuits in U.S. courts for the f...
Read more »
Trump admin to allow suits against some firms doing business in CubaThe Trump administration is expected to act as early as Monday to allow unprecedented lawsuits in American courts against some foreign companies doing business in Cuba, U.S. officials and others familiar with the move tell NBC News.
Read more »
Trump symbolically tightens embargo on CubaHAVANA (AP) — The Trump administration announced Monday that it is symbolically tightening the six-decade trade embargo on Cuba by allowing lawsuits against Cuban companies using properties confiscated after its 1959 revolution.
Read more »
U.S. to allow first lawsuits against Cuba over seized propertyTo turn up pressure on Cuba’s communist government, the Trump administration is reversing longstanding practice and allowing U.S. citizens to sue certain Cuban companies over property expropriated decades ago.
Read more »
Which countries are the most welcoming to LGBTQ travelers?The U.S. tied with Cuba for 47th place in new ranking of LGBTQ-friendly destinations.
Read more »
Maradona to legally recognize three children he has in Cuba: Argentine lawyerArgentina's 1986 World Cup soccer winning captain Diego Maradona has three ...
Read more »
Europe and the U.S. are at odds over Iran. Cuba may be next.A section of a 1996 U.S. law could be the newest irritant in the U.S.-E.U. relationship.
Read more »