The history of Melià Hotels International in Cuba can only be understood within the economic shift experienced by the Caribbean island in the late eighties and early nineties. With the fall of the Soviet bloc between 1989 and 1991, Cuba loses its main economic support and enters the so-called Special Period, a stage of profound crisis marked by a lack of foreign currency, scarcity of basic products, and the collapse of a large part of productive activity.

The Mallorcan hotel chain Melià Hotels International has decided to immediately end the management, commercialization, and brand licensing services for 15 hotels in Cuba. The decision comes in a context marked by pressure from the United States on foreign companies operating on the island and after the Donald Trump administration set June 5 as the deadline to take measures against companies linked to business with the Cuban military conglomerate Gaeasa.

The lack of aviation fuel in Cuba has triggered a new crisis that is severely impacting the international tourism sector and, in particular, Spanish companies with a significant presence on the island. The Cuban government has warned airlines that it cannot guarantee kerosene supplies at the country's airports for weeks, a situation that has forced a reconfiguration of flight operations and accelerated adjustments in the hotel sector. The crisis is part of a serious energy emergency plaguing the country, with difficulties importing oil and its derivatives, which affects not only air transport but also the electricity supply and economic activity in general. Tourism, Cuba's main source of foreign currency, is once again in an extremely vulnerable position.

The Melià hotel chain has reduced its hotel availability in Cuba, adjusting it to current employment levels, a decision with which they intend to adapt to the supply blockade and demand levels imposed by the Trump administration.

The Argentine government announced this Tuesday that former tennis player Rafael Nadal and the Melià hotel group will establish seven luxury hotels in the South American country. "Rafel Nadal is arriving in Argentina with a tourism venture: seven luxury hotels alongside Melià Hotels International," reported Daniel Scioli, Secretary of Tourism, Environment, and Sports in the Javier Milei administration.