Archipelago International to Expand its Hotel Brand in Cuba

Archipelago International, Southeast Asia’s largest privately owned and independent hotel operator is set to expand in Cuba with two new ASTON-branded properties on December 1. The hotel openings will be in time for the start of the high season in Cuba.

Archipelago made the announcement after being awarded the management contracts from Grupo de Turismo Gaviota S.A. company of Cuba.

The 320 room, sea front Panorama Hotel in the Miramar district of Havana, originally opened its doors in 2002. The Panorama will be rebranded as the ASTON Panorama Hotel.

The second hotel is the Holguin Costa Verde Hotel, located in the popular resort destination of Holguin. This hotel will be renamed as the ASTON Costa Verde Beach Resort. The expansive resort property offers 749 rooms, four pools, nine restaurants and seven bars.

Both hotels are set to debut on December 1. Archipelago’s growing presence in Cuba, includes the GRAND ASTON Cayo Las Brujas Beach Resort & Spa and two hotels currently under construction, the GRAND ASTON Varadero Beach Resort and the GRAND ASTON La Habana Hotel. Both hotels are scheduled to open in 2021.

“We are delighted to be given the opportunity by Grupo de Turismo Gaviota S.A. to introduce our very successful ASTON brand to Havana and Holguin, particularly at such landmark hotels,” said Gerard Byrne, Managing Director, Archipelago Overseas.

“Since its opening, GRAND ASTON Cayo Las Brujas has consistently ranked as the No.1 hotel in its region for guest satisfaction and quality audits. This operational excellence is now more important than ever and will continue to be post-COVID-19, as guests will expect and demand higher standards of hygiene and safety practices from hotels. Cuba is best positioned to alleviate these concerns, as it is recognized as one of the safest destinations in the world, has an excellent healthcare system and is taking a holistic approach as a nation to ensure its tourism offerings meet new standards and expectations.”

Cuba began to lift travel restrictions on July 1 after closing its borders to international tourism in March this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuba is gradually opening up to receive international visitors in a three-phase plan. At the present time, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Cruz, Cayo Santa Maria, and Cayo Largo are open to vacationers with strict sanitary measures in place.