Gaviota and Iberostar launch new hotel management model in Cuba

The Gaviota Tourism Group S.A. and Iberostar Cuba Hotels & Resorts signed an agreement promoting a new hotel management model in Cuba. The new contractual framework grants Iberostar Cuba Hotels & Resorts the lease of the Iberostar Origin Laguna Azul hotel, located in the resort of Varadero.

According to a press release, the contract was signed by the President of the Gaviota Tourism Group, Carlos Latuff, and the representative of Iberostar Cuba Hotels & Resorts, Alejandro Barrios, at the Iberostar Grand Packard hotel.

This new business model aims to boost the hotel’s repositioning locally and internationally, aligning it with the quality and excellence of the Iberostar Cuba brand and strengthening its competitiveness.

The initiative involves a comprehensive transformation of strategic areas, including asset renovation, the incorporation of cutting-edge technology, sales channel optimization, operational strengthening, financial modernization, the development of a robust marketing and communications strategy, and a firm commitment to talent development as a key factor in the proposal.

With a realistic, innovative, and customer-experience-oriented vision, this agreement confirms the commitment to strengthening the hotel’s capabilities through investment, greater operational autonomy and the promotion of strategic alliances.

The Iberostar Laguna Azul hotel is a five-star, all-inclusive resort with more than 800 spacious rooms, six swimming pools (four for adults and two for children), a nightclub, a theater, five restaurants, several bars and sports and entertainment activities.

In his opening remarks at the Cuban International Tourism Fair in April 2025, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz announced, among other measures, a plan to “restructure tourism and position it as the driving force of the national economy,” the update of the regulatory framework and policies to encourage foreign investment in the country, the implementation of new business modalities associated with real estate, such as the leasing of tourist facilities, and facilities for operating in foreign currency, among other developments associated with this strategic sector in the Cuban context.