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The top official of Meliá Hotels International, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, publicly admitted that the Spanish chain is unclear about the future of its hotels in Cuba.
"I don't know, the truth is we don't know what will happen. We are following the instructions of the U.S. State Department," he declared on the occasion of the inauguration of a new establishment in Estepona.
Despite the grim outlook, Escarrer did not rule out a possible return.
When asked if Cuba has a future in tourism, he answered without hesitation: "I believe so, without a doubt."
But that future, for now, entirely depends on what Washington decides.
Escarrer's confession summarizes the situation of a company that, just six weeks prior, had been forced to relinquish the management of 15 hotels on the island under direct pressure from Washington.
The trigger was Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, 2026, which designated the Cuban military conglomerate GAESA as a sanctioned entity and set June 5 as the deadline for foreign companies to sever any ties with the group.
Meliá informed the National Securities Market Commission on June 3 of the immediate cessation of operations in 15 establishments, citing "unforeseen circumstances beyond management's control."
Among the abandoned hotels are some of the most iconic in Cuban tourism: the Paradisus Varadero, the Paradisus Río de Oro, the Gran Hotel Bristol Habana Vieja, and the Meliá Cayo Santa María, among others.
Following that partial exit, the chain maintains approximately 19 properties in Cuba that are not directly linked to GAESA, although most operate with minimal occupancy or remain temporarily closed.
In July 2026, only four or five hotels remained operational: the Meliá Habana, the Meliá Cohiba, the Meliá Varadero, the Meliá Las Américas, and the Sol Palmeras, the latter reopening on July 1 after four months of closure.
The uncertainty arrives at the worst possible time for Cuban tourism. In 2025, the island received only 1.81 million international visitors, the lowest figure since 2002—excluding the pandemic—which represents a 62% decline compared to the 4.7 million in 2018.
The hotel occupancy rate in Cuba fell to 18.9% that year, a historical low.
The financial situation of Meliá on the island is also critical. The chain closed the first quarter of 2026 at 50% of its operational capacity, with an average occupancy rate of 34.1% and a 68% drop in its net profit. The losses in Cuba during 2024 amounted to 4 million euros.
The Cuban regime, for its part, attempted to present the withdrawal as an external imposition.
Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that Meliá and Iberostar were leaving "against their will" due to pressures from Trump, and the government threatened legal action for breach of contract. Meliá is defending itself under the EU Blocking Statute, in effect since 1996.
The Spanish chain, which once managed up to 34 hotels in Cuba with approximately 14,000 rooms, was until recently the leading foreign tour operator on the island.
Now their international expansion priorities are focused in a different direction: the Middle East, the United States, and Vietnam.
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