Sheraton Opens New Four Points Hotel in Havana
The Four Points Hotel, a renaming of the Quinta Avenida hotel in Havana's Miramar section, has opened for business. The hotel is managed by the Sheraton division of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The hotel is owned by Gaviota S.A., a business entity operated by the Cuban military.
The Four Points property, part of three-hotel deal Starwood hotels signed with the Cuban government in March 2016, is along a stretch of Quinta Avenida, a broad, four-lane boulevard that runs from the Malecón on Havana's waterfront to the western edge of the city. The hotel is surrounded by foreign company offices and embassies, and many of the stately old homes that line the street.
The hotel opening is the culmination of the deal between Starwood and the Cuban government. Starwood negotiated the arrangement after gaining approval from the U.S. Treasury to become the first U.S. hotel company with permission to do business with Cuban state-owned enterprises. With a huge influx of tourists following President Obama's decision to open a new era of relations with the Cuban government, Cuba has been struggling to accommodate the new visitors.
There have been reports that Cuba is seeking to create more than 13,000 new hotel rooms this year, and more than 85,000 new rooms by the year 2020.
The other two hotels that Starwood will manage are the Hotel Inglaterra and Hotel Santa Isabel, both located on the edge of Old Havana. Negotiations for those management deals are still under way.
