St Giles Hotels has become the first UK group to announce plans for a property in Havana, since the thawing of US-Cuba relations last year.
The group has partnered with Cuba’s Gran Caribe to redevelop the existing Hotel Deauville on the city’s Malecon.
The four-star property will be renamed The Deauville – A St Giles Signature Hotel, and is scheduled to reopen in 2019, with features including a rooftop bar and gym overlooking the capital.
Owned and operated from the UK, St Giles Hotels is a subsidiary of CHM Hotels, and currently operates nine hotels across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, including the 724-room St Giles London in Bloomsbury, and the St Giles Heathrow close to Feltham rail station.
The group has plans to offer 20 hotels worldwide by 2020, with a further hotel set to open in London’s Blackfriars, as part of the “Jenga Tower” development.
Commenting on the news Abigail Tan-Giroud, Head of Europe, UK and the Americas, said:
“We are incredibly excited and honoured to have been distinguished with this opportunity. Our success in hotel development, and management, vast experience in construction, and our brand’s value of preserving culture and enhancing communities, puts St Giles Hotels in a prime situation to partner with the Cuban government on re-developing this gem in Havana. And of course, being the first UK hotel group to be granted entry is a bonus!”
