Kempinski to open first resort in Cuba

Kempinski Hotels and Grupo de Turismo Gaviota have signed a management contract for Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski. The partners are promoting the property, which is currently under construction and is poised to open this year as the first five-star luxury resort complex in Cuba. 

The resort will be approximately 500 kilometers east of Havana, with design inspired by author Ernest Hemingway’s legacy and love for the region. The property will have 245 rooms and suites, including six overwater villas and a 200-square-meter overwater presidential suite, all of which will have private pools. 

Public spaces will include a spa, yoga facilities, pools, a gym, a kids' club, tennis court, lobby bar, cigar bar and several restaurants. 

“After having successfully introduced our city hotel Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana almost two years ago, we will complement our offer and will soon provide exclusive luxury in a beach resort,” said Carlos Miguel Latuff Carmenate, executive president of Grupo de Turismo Gaviota.

“Having grown our project pipeline by 18 percent last year, I am delighted that this year our development growth has started equally bullish and I am very pleased to have signed our second project in Cuba with our long-term partner Grupo de Turismo Gaviota,” said Markus Semer, chairman of the management board and CEO of Kempinski Hotels. “We are proud of the strong partnership we have built with Grupo de Turismo Gaviota and look forward to replicating our accomplishments in Havana, where we look back on particularly successful first two years of operation.”