New hotels, new luxury in Cuba

The Consulate of Cuba wined and dined 150 travel agents and 19 exhibitors last night.

Converged on the Palais Royale on the shores of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, they were treated to live music, banana chips with guacamole, squash soup and Cuban flan; however, the main course was a showcase of Cuba's newest offerings.

The big buzz: an increase in the quality of hotels. New luxury is coming to Cuba.

This is great news for the one million plus Canadians who visit Cuba each year, Cuba's "undisputed" biggest tourist source market. Reps say that with the U.S. embargo still in place, Canadians don't need to worry about an influx of American travellers, adding that Cuba will remain true to its roots (they "have 57 years of standing up to Americans") and will remember those who gave them a hand when they needed it most (the number of Canadians going to Cuba in a month is more than from the U.S. in a year.) "Canadians have never been more welcome in Cuba."

That said, Cuba is "in expansion mode," building new and better facilities being the top priority. So while many favorite tour operators were on hand, including WestJet, Air Canada Vacations and Sunwing, a big round of applause went to four new hotels that have never operated in Cuba before, but now have resorts that have either recently opened or are under construction (a fifth hotel was not in attendance.)

Here's some of what agents will want to know about those new resorts:

• The all-inclusive Pullman Cayo Coco opened in December. Featuring 566 rooms, their main hotel caters to families while their luxury "Collection" is adults-only. It's the first Pullman property to open in the Americas.

• The five-star Sercotel Cayo Santa Maria is currently under construction. The all-inclusive has 660 rooms, and both adults-only and family sections. There's even a separate walkway to the beach. Some of the buildings are already done and it will open in March or April 2017. They are represented by Aviareps in Canada.

• Iberostar opened a new property in December of last year in Cayo Guillermo and will soon be opening the five-star Iberostar Bella Vista in Varadero. It's being billed as "premium gold upscale luxury" with an adults-only section and a family section with a water park for kids. With a focus on food, there will be a restaurant with a 360-degree view of Varadero. The site will also have a buffet for kids "at kid height."

• The Dhaka Cayo Santa Maria is described as "edgy, cool and sassy." It's part of the Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts so "it's a true 4 star." This marks the group's first foray into Cuba. It has 516 rooms and will cater to millenial travellers with its "funky, trendy" feel.

These, along with other projects and expansions mean an additional 3,000 rooms through April 2017.

Other changes include a more user-friendly website, an incoming touristic plaza at Cayo Las Brujas and seven new destinations emerging through 2030.