Spanish hotel chain Meliá is leaving Cuba because of legal and financial hurdles from US sanctions
Summary
The Spanish hotel company Meliá announced it will close all its hotels in Cuba due to ongoing problems caused by U.S. sanctions. These sanctions have made it difficult for the company to do business, and the move affects Cuba’s struggling tourism industry.Key Facts
- Meliá is shutting down all its hotel operations in Cuba starting Friday.
- The U.S. recently added Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism to a blacklist, affecting over a dozen hotels run by Meliá.
- Meliá had already stopped managing 15 hotels linked to a Cuban military business group sanctioned by the U.S.
- The company once owned 34 five-star hotels in major Cuban tourist spots like Havana and Varadero.
- U.S. sanctions against Cuba include freezing assets, blocking access to U.S. financial markets, and travel bans on related people.
- Cuba faces severe electricity blackouts, medicine shortages, and other crises worsened by the U.S. energy embargo.
- Tourism in Cuba dropped 48% in early 2026 compared to 2015, with other major hotel chains and airlines also leaving.
- The U.S. government increased pressure on Cuba after Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro was captured, aiming to change Cuba’s political and economic system.
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