AREQUIPA, Peru – In the midst of the crisis and scarcity that faces the island, the Cuban regime inaugurated a luxury five-star hotel, the Meliá Trinidad Península, in Sancti Spíritus.
The Cuban Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, personally visited the tourist facilities to celebrate the inauguration, as shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“As part of the 510th anniversary of the founding of Trinidad, we inaugurated the Meliá Trinidad Península Hotel, a facility that will mark a before and after in the tourist development of this municipality,” wrote the Prime Minister.
A report from the official newspaper Escambray indicates that the hotel is one of the most modern on the island.
To this end, the President of Meliá Hotels International Group, Gabriel Escarrer, who was present at this opening, referred to the levels of comfort displayed by the accommodation, which will enhance tourism that seeks heritage and cultural experiences.
“It is also an expression of the support we have been providing to Cuba since 1989,” said the executive.
The hotel has approximately 401 guest rooms, including standard and The Level rooms; it is for adults only, ages 18 and older; and it boasts of seven bars, seven restaurants, and numerous venues for events, meetings, conferences, and parties.
Marrero Cruz was accompanied by Deivy Pérez Martín, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and the first secretary in the province, as well as Alexis Lorente Jiménez, governor of Sancti Spíritus, ministers, personalities, and other local authorities, who witnessed the rehabilitation of Casa Frías, the new headquarters of the City Conservator’s Office.
Likewise, the delegation visited some of the facilities of the Palmares Extrahotel Branch, which, in commemoration of Trinidad’s anniversary, made various investments to revitalize nearly twenty of its subsidiaries, including “La Casita de mis sueños” and “Casa de la Cerveza” (The House of Dreams and The Beer House, respectively).
In Sancti Spíritus, out of the 390 million pesos that the Ministry of Construction (MICONS) allocated to the province in 2023, approximately 227 million went to tourism, particularly for the construction of the Meliá Trinidad Península Hotel. This figure represents roughly 60% of the provincial budget.
In contrast, another article in Escambray indicates that in the housing plan for the province, only about 35 out of 100 homes that were planned have been completed.
Engineer Rislander Torres Díaz, the General Director of the Construction and Assembly Company in Sancti Spíritus, acknowledged that housing has been, like in the entire country, “one of the most neglected programs.”
He pointed out that the reasons for this include a shortage of fuel and finishing materials, as well as issues in the production of aggregates and prefabricated concrete, essential resources for building homes and other structures.
The initial budget for Sancti Spíritus was around 283 million pesos, but the “commitment” to complete the hotel as soon as possible prompted the Cuban government to allocate more funds.
In recent years, the increase in hotel investment at the expense of the recovery and development of sectors like Public Health and Education has been heavily criticized by Cubans both inside and outside the island.
The regime has tried to justify the move by the need to access foreign currency. However, despite excessive hotel investment, tourism in the Caribbean island continues to struggle.
Sigue nuestro canal de WhatsApp. Recibe la información de CubaNet en tu celular a través de Telegram.
