Spanish hotel chain ceases operations in Cuba under pressure from Washington
Meliá group says Donald Trump’s sanctions make it ‘impossible’ to keep any of its 34 sites open A Spanish hotel chain is to cease all operations in Cuba at the end of the week due to “major difficulties” in doing business on the island under growing pressure...
A Spanish hotel group said it will end all of its operations in Cuba by the end of the week, citing escalating pressure from Washington and mounting difficulties in keeping its business on the island running.
Meliá, one of Spain’s best-known hotel companies, told the Spanish stock market regulator on Tuesday that the latest US sanctions have made it “impossible, de facto and de jure” to maintain even basic operational stability in Cuba. According to the company, those measures leave it unable to sustain the chain’s presence there in a workable way.
The decision affects 34 sites, all of which are set to close as the company withdraws from the country. In its statement, Meliá pointed to “major difficulties” in doing business in Cuba under the current climate, with the pressure from the United States now pushing it to a full shutdown of operations.
The move highlights how sanctions policy can ripple through international business ties, especially for companies with exposure to Cuba’s tourism sector. For Meliá, the end of its Cuban operations marks a significant retreat from a market in which it had maintained a substantial footprint.
The report is based on a monitored public feed and was attributed in the feed to The Guardian World. Source: The Guardian World - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/21/spanish-hotel-chain-ceases-operations-cuba-sanctions-trump
