{"id":99158,"date":"2026-07-21T20:32:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T00:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/spanish-hotel-giant-melia-shuts-down-all-cuba-operations-amid-u-s-sanctions\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T20:32:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T00:32:29","slug":"spanish-hotel-giant-melia-shuts-down-all-cuba-operations-amid-u-s-sanctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/spanish-hotel-giant-melia-shuts-down-all-cuba-operations-amid-u-s-sanctions\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish Hotel Giant Meli\u00e1 Shuts Down All Cuba Operations Amid U.S. Sanctions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

HAVANA (AP) \u2014 Spanish hotel chain Meli\u00e1 announced Tuesday that it is closing down all of its operations in Cuba, dealing a serious setback to the Caribbean island’s tourism sector as it continues to struggle under heavy U.S. sanctions and an energy embargo.<\/p>

In an official statement, the company cited “the significant operational, legal, economic and financial difficulties that have persistently affected, and continue to affect, the environment” in Cuba as the reason behind the move, which takes effect Friday.<\/p>

Cuba’s tourism industry was once a major driver of the nation’s economy. Meli\u00e1’s withdrawal comes on the heels of new U.S. sanctions announced July 13 that blacklisted Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism \u2014 the business partner connected to more than a dozen hotels the chain was still running on the island.<\/p>

Earlier, the company had already suspended management of 15 hotels it operated through an arrangement with a tourism agency tied to GAESA, a Cuban military-business conglomerate that the U.S. sanctioned back in May. With this latest move, Meli\u00e1 has now fully exited Cuba.<\/p>

At its peak, Meli\u00e1 operated 34 five-star hotels across Cuba, concentrated in Havana and popular destinations such as the Varadero resort and the country’s main keys. The chain held deep symbolic significance for the island, having been among the first international hotel brands to arrive following Cuba’s opening to tourism after the Soviet Union’s collapse more than 35 years ago.<\/p>

U.S. penalties against businesses operating in Cuba include freezing their assets, seizing their American accounts \u2014 effectively cutting them off from U.S. financial markets \u2014 and imposing travel bans on their shareholders, investors, and staff.<\/p>

The pressure from Washington intensified following the capture of Venezuela’s then-President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in January, with the U.S. pushing for the downfall of the Cuban government and a transformation of its political and economic system. An energy embargo was also put in place, worsening an already serious crisis on the island.<\/p>

The consequences have been severe: daily power outages lasting more than 20 hours, critical medicine shortages straining the healthcare system, a failing water supply, and transportation that has largely ground to a halt.<\/p>

Paolo Spadoni, an associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Augusta University in Georgia, told The Associated Press that Meli\u00e1’s departure illustrates the sweeping impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, which are “methodically and systematically closing every source of foreign currency for the Cuban government.”<\/p>

Tourism across the island has collapsed as major international chains \u2014 including Spanish brand Iberostar and Canada’s Royalton \u2014 have pulled out, and airlines such as World2Fly, Air France, and Iberia have canceled flights to Cuba.<\/p>

During the first three months of this year, tourist arrivals in Cuba fell 48% compared to the same period in 2015, with only 298,000 visitors recorded.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spanish hotel chain Meli\u00e1 has announced it is pulling out of Cuba entirely, citing mounting legal and financial obstacles tied to U.S. sanctions. The move is a significant blow to Cuba’s already struggling tourism industry, which has seen visitor numbers drop dramatically in recent years. The company’s exit takes effect Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":99157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784680347774.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-pNk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":76287,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/major-spanish-hotel-chain-exits-cuba-as-tourism-industry-collapses\/","url_meta":{"origin":99158,"position":0},"title":"Major Spanish Hotel Chain Exits Cuba as Tourism Industry Collapses","author":"Admin","date":"June 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Spanish hotel operator Meli\u00e1 is closing 15 of its 34 Cuban hotels following new U.S. sanctions and an ongoing oil embargo. The move deals another devastating blow to Cuba's struggling tourism industry, which has seen visitor numbers plummet by nearly half this year.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780522664110.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780522664110.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780522664110.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780522664110.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77535,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cuba-seeks-cuban-investors-for-hotels-as-international-chains-exit-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":99158,"position":1},"title":"Cuba Seeks Cuban Investors for Hotels as International Chains Exit Island","author":"Admin","date":"June 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cuba's government announced it will allow Cuban investors, including those living overseas, to manage hotels after major international chains withdrew from the island. 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