Kempinski Hotels is scheduled to debut in Cuba later this year in a former shopping arcade in Havana. The Geneva-based hotelier signed a management contract with Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA to open The Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana within the historic Manzana de Gómez building in the capital city’s Old Havana area.
Eric Bogo, a subcontractor of French industrial group Bouygues, is creating the property’s interiors, while projectos architectura y urbanum is serving as the project’s architect. Work on the conversion started in November 2013.
The five-star hotel’s accommodations will include 246 guestrooms and suites, ranging from about 430 square feet to 1,615 square feet with 13-foot to 16-foot ceilings. Also in the plans are a rooftop terrace and pool overlooking the city; a Resense-managed 10,760-square foot spa; three restaurants; a lobby bar; a cigar lounge; and a business center.
Constructed at the beginning of the 20th century as Cuba's first European-style shopping arcade, the property’s location is an iconic building in an important historical area.
