What happened
Major European hotel brands including Melia, Iberostar, Accor, Kempinski, and Barcelo are exiting or have exited their Cuban hotel portfolios due to US secondary sanctions that threaten access to the US financial system. Many of these properties are owned by the Cuban Military through its Gaviota subsidiary. Iberostar has exited 12 hotels owned by the Military but continues to operate 6 hotels not owned by the Military. These remaining Iberostar properties are not part of their partnership with IHG. Other hotels may continue operating under their brands if ownership is not held by the army. The exit follows a New York Times report that a bank processing Visa and Mastercard transactions for the island has withdrawn. While US-issued credit cards were previously unusable, the financial infrastructure changes may impact other card networks like UnionPay. The sector is also impacted by low demand and airlines ceasing flights due to fuel shortages