Havana/Geneva, February 7, 2017 ˗ Kempinski is delighted to announce that it will open its first hotel in Cuba in the second quarter of this year. The Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana features 246 rooms and suites and is located within the historic Manzana de Gómez building in the heart of Old Havana – a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Kempinski Hotels has just signed a management contract with the Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA. “We are very pleased to be opening this outstanding hotel in the spring,” says Markus Semer, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Kempinski Hotels. “The opening is a continuation of our pioneering spirit as the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana will be Cuba’s first modern luxury five-star hotel. And its location within a famous historic building currently makes it the most exclusive hotel project in Old Havana.”
“For us, it is important to gain new partners who are internationally renowned, to manage our hotels, for this reason Kempinski was selected to take care of our new hotel in Havana,” adds Carlos 
M. Latuff, Executive President Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA. “With its impeccable 120-year history, European-style luxury and extraordinary quality, Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group Kempinski is a perfect fit with the Manzana de Gómez.
Constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, as Cuba’s first European-style shopping arcade, it is an iconic building in an important historical area. Together with Kempinski we will make this jewel the city’s leading luxury hotel,” he continues.
Even before it has opened, the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana is causing much excitement – not only in Cuba. Guests can choose from 246 luxury rooms and suites, ranging in size from 40 to the stunning presidential suite’s 150 square metres – all with ceilings of four to five metres. The rooftop terrace and swimming pool, with views over the old town, are just one of the many highlights. There will be a spa managed by Resense, which offers guests more than 1,000 square metres of pure relaxation, together with a choice of three restaurants, a lobby bar, cigar lounge, and a business centre makes sure guests will have everything they need for a truly memorable stay.
There is no doubt that this new luxury hotel, in the heart of Havana’s most historic area, next to the city’s most interesting sights, is destined to become the place to be in Cuba’s capital.
Created in 1897, Kempinski Hotels is Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group. Kempinski’s rich heritage of impeccable personal service and superb hospitality is complemented by the exclusivity and individuality of its properties. Kempinski now manages a portfolio of 75 five-star hotels and residences in 30 countries and continues to add new properties in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Each one reflects the strength and success of the Kempinski brand without losing sight of its heritage. The portfolio comprises historic landmark properties, award-winning urban lifestyle hotels, outstanding resorts, and prestigious residences. Each one is imbued with the quality guests have come to expect from Kempinski while embracing the cultural traditions of its location. Kempinski is a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands.
To enjoy Cuba in its entire dimension the Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA offers a universe of diversity and comfort in 64 hotels and villas with more than 27,000 rooms – a third of the capacity of the country – in important cities as well as in beach resorts.
Gaviota further reinforces its business through various subsidiaries; Transgaviota taking care of personal transportation, Marinas Gaviota offering an excellent range of nautical offers, as well as a wide choice of promenades and excursions tailored by Gaviota Tours, Gaviota’s own travel agency, which coupled with touristic centre-points, spas, diving centres, dolphonariums amongst others, distinguish Grupo Gaviota as the most well rounded and versatile host of Cuban tourism.
Pinar del Río, Havana, Varadero, Cayos de Villa Clara, Topes de Collantes, Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo), Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa are some of the most prominent destinations of Gaviota in Cuba. In harmonious synergy, hotels, modalities and environments are combined with specialized services targeted at different audiences and markets with flexibility and differentiation, with the intent of providing maximum satisfaction.
Renown international companies like Meliá International, Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, H10, Blue Diamond, Valentín, Warwick International, among others, work with Gaviota, managing over 80 percent of Gaviota’s portfolio; and new partners such as Kempinski Hotels, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Sercotel, Centara Hotels and Resorts, MGM Muthu Hotels and Catalonia Hotels and Resorts, are joining Gaviota in 2017 for the management of facilities in Havana and the northern coast of Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila.