Starwood signs deal to manage hotels in Cuba

Mexico City

STARWOOD Hotels and Resorts is set to become the first American hospitality chain to run hotels in Cuba in more than half a century, signalling the return of American companies to the Cuban travel market as the island gears up to receive a surge in visits from the United States.

Under two deals signed on the eve of a visit to Cuba by President Barack Obama, Starwood will refurbish and manage the Hotel Inglaterra on the Parque Central near Old Havana and the Hotel Quinta Avenida, a 186-room business hotel in the upscale district of Miramar. The hotels should begin running under the Starwood brand this year, the company said.

Starwood, which has its corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, will be managing hotels owned by Cuban state enterprises - including a military conglomerate - creating the deepest ties so far between a US company and the Cuban government since Mr Obama announce…