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Barceló Hotel Group is heading towards the end of its presence in Cuba. The company does not intend to extend the management contracts for its two hotels in Varadero once they expire next year.
Raúl González, CEO for EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), confirmed this Wednesday in a meeting with the press held in Madrid.
The affected establishments are the Barceló Solymar, with 525 rooms, and the Occidental Arenas Blancas, with 358 rooms, the latter having been closed for months due to the collapse in tourist demand.
Both contracts were last renewed in 2017 for a period of ten years, forming a complex of 1,353 rooms in Varadero along with the then Allegro Palma Real.
"The current expectation is that the management will conclude upon the expiration of the contracts," said González, who added that the company will act cautiously in response to the regulatory environment imposed by Washington.
"We will respect the regulations set by the United States; we don’t want to take on any risks or controversies," he expressed.
Unlike other chains, Barceló operates in Cuba under contract with Gran Caribe, the Cuban state chain, and not with Gaviota, the hotel subsidiary of GAESA.
That distinction allowed her not to be compelled to act immediately when the Trump administration set June 5, 2026, as the deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with the military conglomerate.
However, the combination of the tourism crisis and contract expiration makes leaving in 2027 the most likely scenario.
Barceló's decision comes after a widespread exodus of Spanish and international hotel chains from the island.
Iberostar ceased operations at 12 of its 18 hotels in Cuba on June 1, 2026, and Meliá announced the termination of management at 15 establishments on June 3.
Minor Hotels had already exited its two hotels in Havana under the NH brand in February of that year.
The backdrop is an unprecedented tourism crisis in Cuba. The country closed 2025 with only 1.8 million international visitors and a hotel occupancy rate of 18.9%.
In the first quarter of 2026, the decline was even more pronounced: only 328,608 tourists, a 55.8% decrease compared to the same period the previous year.
The so-called "tourist consolidation" — the closure of hotels with low occupancy and the relocation of guests to concentrated facilities — has drastically reduced the operational offer, to the point that in March 2026 only 13 establishments remained open between Havana and Varadero, according to data from Havanatur.
While closing its Cuban chapter, Barceló is redirecting its expansion towards markets with greater potential. The company is currently negotiating up to six new contracts in Saudi Arabia and has planned openings in Istanbul, Cairo —alongside the Grand Egyptian Museum— and the Maldives in 2027.
“If all goes well, we are considering signing six contracts in the coming weeks,” González noted regarding the Saudi market.
Spanish companies have accumulated an investment of 465 million euros in Cuba between 1993 and 2024, with over 70 management contracts and around 30,000 rooms managed, a legacy that is rapidly unraveling under the pressure from Washington and the collapse of tourism on the island.
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