Trump sanctions force Meliá to quit 15 hotels in Cuba

Meliá Hotels International has informed the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) on Wednesday of the immediate halt to the management, marketing and use of its brands at 15 hotels in Cuba. It is doing so through its Portuguese subsidiary Ilha Bela, which has notified a decision that had already been communicated in advance to the owners on 26 May. The Mallorca-based group was the last major operator with a significant presence on the island.

The Trump administration set 5 June as the deadline for foreign companies to cut their ties with businesses linked to Gaesa and its subsidiaries, the military conglomerate that controls a substantial part of the Cuban economy. The sanctions target those that maintain business relations with the holding company in sectors such as energy, defence, mining or financial services, but also more broadly ban any provision of funds or services to individuals designated by Washington, such as military officer Ana Guillermina Lastres, Gaesa’s director.

For Meliá, the risk was less economic, as most of its 15 affected hotels have been closed for months because of the Cuban energy crisis, than legal. This would not be the first time the Escarrer family’s company has clashed with the US administration over its presence on the island.

Iberostar and Blue Diamond also halt operations in Cuba

Iberostar had already taken the step. The Mallorca-based chain stopped operating and marketing 12 properties as of 1 June, formalising the end of any contractual ties with the assets managed by the Gaviota Tourism Group, Gaesa’s operational arm. The company will maintain a presence in Cuba only in hotels linked to entities not covered by the sanctions.

Neither hotel group officially cited US pressure as the reason for ceasing operations, although Iberostar said the decision was part of “a process of adapting to the international regulatory environment and aimed at preserving the standards of quality, compliance and management that characterise the company”. Before the Spanish groups, Canadian chain Blue Diamond had announced it was ending its operations in Cuba, where it was involved in the management of 62 properties.

Tourism in free fall

The withdrawal of the hotel groups hits a sector that has been in decline for years. Between January and April 2026, Cuba received only 328,608 international tourists, a fall of 55.8% compared with the same period in 2025. Arrivals had already fallen to historic lows in 2025, with 1.8 million visitors, less than half the figure for 2018, and all indications are that this year there will be even fewer.

At least 11 airlines have suspended or cut back flights to Cuba so far in 2026, with more than 1,700 flights cancelled in total. Iberia has suspended its Madrid-Havana route until 24 October. Meliá, for its part, had already closed 50% of its capacity on the island during the first quarter, with an average occupancy rate of 34.1% and a 68% collapse in its net profits.