Starwood to open hotels in Cuba

Starwood Hotels & Resorts inked deals in Cuba on Saturday night that will give it the management of three prestigious hotels in Havana, the first foray by a U.S. hospitality company into Cuba in nearly six decades.

Coinciding with the arrival of President Obama for his historic visit to Cuba, the Starwood agreements mark the further erosion of the U.S. trade embargo and a step toward normalizing relations between the two longtime foes.

Under two deals signed on the eve of a visit to Cuba by President 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. (MTI, tozsdeforum.hu)