Workers began dismantling the letters and insignias of Meliá from the facade of the Cohíba Hotel in Havana this Monday, in an image that quickly circulated on social media and graphically summarizes the end of more than three decades of the Spanish chain's presence in Cuba.
The removal of the sign comes four days after Meliá completed its total exit from the 34 hotels it managed on the island, marking the end of 36 years of continuous operations in the country.
The Cohíba is not just any hotel within that story. Inaugurated on May 31, 1995, in Havana's Vedado area, facing the Malecón, it was the first urban hotel in Havana managed entirely by Sol Meliá, featuring 462 rooms and the presence of dictator Fidel Castro at its opening.
For three decades, he was the most visible face of the regime's commitment to turning tourism into the economic engine of the island.
Meliá's exit occurred in two phases driven by the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.
On June 3, 2026, the chain announced the immediate cessation of 15 hotels linked to GAESA, the military-business conglomerate of the Cuban Armed Forces, following an Executive Order that designated this entity as sanctioned and set June 5 as the deadline to sever ties.
On July 13, Washington expanded sanctions against the Cuban Ministry of Tourism and nine other state entities, removing any legal margin to continue operating the remaining hotels.
Meliá was not the only one to exit. Iberostar confirmed on July 21 that it no longer operated or marketed any hotels in Cuba, having first left the 12 establishments linked to Gaviota as of June 1.
Barceló announced that it will not renew its contracts in Cuba starting in 2027.
Before this wave of departures, around 20 foreign chains—ten of them Spanish—managed over 100 hotel contracts on the island.
The tourism model that the Cuban regime presented for decades as a showcase for foreign investment and a source of foreign currency now faces an unprecedented scenario: major international chains have left the island, and the sector has experienced years of sustained declines in visitor arrivals, blackouts, and shortages that deter both tourists and investors.
The dismantling of the Meliá letters at the Cohíba encapsulates in a single image the extent of that collapse.
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