• Submitted by: manso
• Travel and Tourism
• 07 / 21 / 2011

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Spain’s Iberostar quietly took over management of the Hotel Parque Central in Old Havana after a 10-year contract by owner Grupo Cubanacan with Spanish-Dutch competitor NH Hoteles ran out at the end of last year.

Neither company explained the change. NH had been managing Old Havana’s biggest hotel since it was built in 1999.

Tourism Website Caribe Preferente reported last year that, although the Cuban state company decided to continue working with NH, Cubanacan’s foreign investor partners in the Parque Central wanted a change of management. According to Caribe Preferente, NH Chairman and CEO Gabriele Burgio made an emergency visit to Havana during a Caribbean tour in April last year, to negotiate with NH’s Cuban partners a continuation of the management of the Parque Central.

The hotel, particularly popular with European visitors, just completed a major expansion. The new building, Parque Central Torre, was originally scheduled to open in 2008. The 149-room expansion expands the historically-themed Parque Central to a 277-room compound; the two buildings are connected via a tunnel. The tower — the most modern hotel in Old Havana —  includes conference facilities and a panorama restaurant.

Hotel Parque Central, left, Torre Parque Central, right

At the same time, NH dropped the management of the Krystal Laguna hotel at Cayo Coco, completing its exit from the Cuban market; management of the Krystal was also taken over by Iberostar. Iberostar also plans to open the 506-room Ensenachos hotel in the Cayo Coco area this year, consolidating Iberostar’s rank as the second-largest hotel operator in Cuba.

In May, China’s HNA Group injected more than $500 million into NH, for a 20-percent share. NH said it will concentrate on an expansion in the Chinese market.

Source: www.cubastandard.com/2011/07/20/iberostar-takes-over-high-profile-havana...