Full Breakdown
Meliá Pulls Out of Half Its Cuban Hotels Amid U.S. Sanctions
6/4/2026, 9:34:08 AM
Core Action: 15 Hotel Closures
On May 26, Meliá Hotels International announced it will close 15 of its 34 Cuban hotels, eliminating about 14,000 rooms. The decision follows President Donald Trump’s executive order expanding U.S. sanctions and maintaining the oil embargo.
Context and Main Actors
Trump’s order targets Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces’ commercial arm, freezing foreign assets, seizing U.S. accounts and banning travel for its shareholders. GAESA co-manages Meliá hotels via Gaviota. Canadian-owned Royalton and Spain’s Iberostar have limited Cuban operations. Cuba’s Central Bank halted Visa and MasterCard after foreign firms cut ties with FINCIMEX, a GAESA-linked agency. Airlines World2Fly, Air France and Iberia have cancelled flights.
Tourism Data Highlights
Cuba’s tourism peaked at 4.3 million visitors in 2019. In Q1 2026 arrivals fell to 298,000, a 48 % drop from 573,300 in the same period of 2025. Meliá’s exit removes roughly 40 % of its Cuban room inventory.
Official Statements Summary
Meliá said its pull-back reflects corporate responsibility and external factors that threaten the legality and security of its hotels. The U.S. administration calls GAESA a security threat, justifying asset freezes and travel bans. Cuban government blames the U.S. energy blockade for blackouts, water shortages and health-system strain.
Workers’ Voices and Criticism
Lee Schlenker of Quincy Institute warned that dwindling tourism, fuel shortages and post-COVID decline will push firms to reassess Cuban operations, with “major implications for the people of Cuba, not just GAESA.” Hotel staff said families’ incomes depend on tourism; driver Erich López and parking attendant Carlos Luis Carbonel called the closures a “blow” to the sector.
Conflicting Accounts
U.S. officials cite GAESA sanctions as the main cause of hotel closures; Cuban authorities blame the U.S. energy blockade. Exact employment figures for the affected hotels are unavailable.
Verbatim Quotes
- “a sense of corporate responsibility and external factors that have significantly affected the operation, legality and security of these establishments.” — Meliá
- “With the lack of international tourism, the fuel shortages, and just the broader decline since COVID … I'm sure that these companies will be rethinking their operations in Cuba with major implications for the people of Cuba, not just GAESA,” — Lee Schlenker
- “It’s going to affect us, our families, and everyone involved in tourism. Our pay and income depend on this,” — Erich López
- “This is terrible for everyone: for tour guides, for parking attendants, for hotel workers, for everyone,” — Carlos Luis Carbonel
Outlook
Closing Meliá hotels cuts capacity, threatens thousands of jobs and deepens tourism’s decline. Combined with airline cancellations and the Visa/MasterCard suspension, foreign-exchange earnings fall further. The indictment of former President Raúl Castro and ongoing sanctions indicate continued pressure on Cuba’s tourism sector, leaving the future of remaining foreign investors uncertain.
