Kempinski Hotels and Grupo de Turismo Gaviota SA have signed a management contract for Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski, the first five-star luxury resort complex in Cuba.

After having managed the country’s first five-star city hotel, Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana, for almost two years, the brand will enhance its presence on the Caribbean island and will further extend its footprint in the Americas.

Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski is currently under construction and is scheduled to open during 2019.

The all-new resort hotel, located about 500 kilometres from Havana in Cayo Guillermo, will be Cuba’s first non-all-inclusive resort hotel.

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s legacy and love for the Cayo, the resort will be built like the bow of a boat advancing into the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by a natural landscape and extensive gardens, it will offer 245 bedrooms and suites.

These will include six over-water villas with panoramic views and a 200 sq m over-water presidential suite, all of which will have private pools.

Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski is designed around the experience of barefoot luxury, including spa and yoga and extensive pool landscapes.

“With Gran Hotel Mazana Kempinski, we introduced the concept of luxury hospitality to the city of Havana, and are honoured to have also been selected as management company for the first ever luxury resort in the country,” said Markus Semer, chair of the management board and CEO of Kempinski Hotels. “We are proud of the strong partnership we have built with Grupo de Turismo Gaviota and look forward to replicating our accomplishments in Havana, where we look back on particularly successful first two years of operation.”