Madrid/“It is not our intention of any type of withdrawal in Cuba. We feel very comfortable with the operational structure we have in the country and with our leadership position there.” These are statements by Gabriel Escarrer, president of Meliá, this Thursday, in a virtual meeting with the Spanish press that has left some more surprises.
The Mallorcan businessman has assured that for more than a year they have been preparing a contingency plan to cushion “the impact of Trump’s policies”, which has left a “limited” impact on the forecasts, although he admitted that “now the problem has become much worse.”
The statements have a very specific framework: the presentation, this Wednesday, company results in 2025. The company has done more than well and for the first time in its history it exceeded net profit of 200 million euros. “Of the 545 million Ebitda (gross operating profit) that we achieved last year, Cuba contributes 11 million (only 2%), so the impact has been limited,” he stressed.
The company has done more than well and for the first time in its history it exceeded the net profit of 200 million euros
In these conditions, it seems that the hotelier does not care too much about facing the bad data of the Island, with which he has an almost personal bond, given the friendship of his father and founder of the company, Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, with Fidel Castro himself, who opened the doors to him. doors of Cuba almost 36 years ago. But in addition, Escarrer Jaume does not consider Meliá’s data on the Island to be bad either. “Both in the last quarter of last year and in January 2026, Cuba’s evolution has been very positive compared to the previous year.”
You are right. Hotel occupancy remained at 40.2%, a very poor result when compared to all the remaining areas of its establishments: Spain (73.4%), Europe and the Mediterranean (70%), America (60%) and Asia (54.8%). However, it is also the one that grows the most (2.1 points) compared to the previous year, when it stayed at 37%.
On the negative side is the rate per room, which had to be reduced to 74 euros, compared to 83 last year. As a consequence, RevPAR (revenue per room) also fell, remaining at 29.7 euros, slightly less than last year’s 30.5, despite the increase in occupancy.
From the data by country, which the hotel company delivers quarterly as it is a publicly traded company, it is clear that Cuba is one of the destinations with the worst performance in general. Only Venezuela, which had an occupancy rate of 17.1%, surpasses it in this section, largely compensated – if you look at the American group – by the United States, with 86%; Dominican Republic (66%) and Mexico (63%). The low figures on the island and the South American country – then on alert, prior to the capture of Nicolás Maduro – weigh down the data for the continent in general, leaving the average occupancy at 48.5%.
Cuba is second in terms of the lowest prices, with only China ahead (67.8 euros, 6.1 cheaper than the Island). At the other extreme are the expensive European destinations. Staying at a Meliá in Italy costs 324.8 euros on average, and is followed by establishments in France (214.4) and the United Kingdom (200). Within the Caribbean, direct competitors are also far ahead, since a hotel from the Mallorcan company costs about 152 euros in the Dominican Republic and 165 in Mexico.
It is not so bad, however, if the RevPAR is compared, since, although Cuba is negative compared to the previous year (-2.6%), Indonesia has -44%, Venezuela -36% and China -13%, which eclipse the decline of the Island.
Meliá got rid of one hotel in Cuba and now has 34, with 14,053 rooms, compared to the 14,818 it had at the end of 2024. But the determination of Escarrer’s company is infinite, since in 2026 it will open two more, for a total of 14,509 rooms, in any case less than two years ago.
In the report, the company considers that “the recovery trend that began in the previous quarter was maintained until the end of the year”, but “difficulties in the destination persist, highlighting the restrictions imposed or the energy situation among others. The discouraging campaigns on social networks have contributed to the climate of greater tension,” they insist, in line with previous reports.
“In any case, the energy support of our hotels together with the efforts to build and maintain solid supply chains has allowed us to guarantee stability”
“In any case, the energy support of our hotels together with the efforts to build and maintain solid supply chains has allowed us to guarantee stability and quality in services, maintaining a superior and differentiating market share in relation to the destination’s competitors,” the document adds. The Spanish firm has its own importing company, Mesolwith which it ensures, from 2024, the provision of food, kitchenware, hygiene products and all types of items to sell in its establishments. On more than one occasion, 14ymedio has tried to obtain information about this company by contacting the hotel company’s press service, which did not want to respond.
Towards the month of May, Meliá will release the data for the first quarter, in which Cuba’s collapse is expected to be much greater. The company’s forecasts indicated that “the beginning of the year has been altered following the geopolitical events that occurred in the region. In that sense, the good prospects that existed before the end of 2025 have been affected, increasing the number of cancellations. However, for the moment, marginal growth is expected with respect to 2025, although that period was affected by the general situation in the country.”
The company, which has accepted the Government’s “compaction” plan to relocate your clients Closing three hotels for the moment, it insists on maintaining calm in a sector that in a few days has had to go back on decisions made previously. Among them are several airlines that expected to maintain their flight plan and have been canceling or reducing operations. For this reason, Meliá admits that “the situation will continue to be subject to geopolitical events and the development of events.”
