Game on with Melia Hotels International Cuba

Melia Hotels International Cuba invited travel partners to celebrate the holiday season with an evening of Cuban cuisine, cocktails and bumper cars.

The reception, held at the Toronto-area Playdium amusement centre, allowed travel partners to unwind with activities ranging from indoor basketball to video games and carnival favourites like whack-a-mole.

Brenda Bradley, Melia Hotels International Cuba’s sales executive for English Canada, told PAX that 2015 was a successful year for the company, with a number of new properties and developments in the destination.

In January, the Melia Jardines del Ray opened in Cayo Coco with 500 available rooms, a number which has since expanded to the property’s full capacity of 1,176 rooms in time for the winter travel season, Bradley said.

Other developments in Cuba for the company include the debut of the new Level section at Melia Varadero, which opened in the summer and offers guests luxury amenities on the top floor of the hotel.

Meanwhile, the Melia Marina Varadero Hotel now features one-, two- and three-room apartments (booked on an EP basis), offering guests a choice of meal plans and an on-site grocery store.

“We’re doing very well in Cuba this year, and we’re off to a good start for 2016,” Bradley said.

The evening’s family-friendly theme also tied into the announcement of the new Family Concierge section opening at Paradisus Varadero Resort & Spa next May, offering visiting families a special section with dedicated amenities including its own swimming pool, Bradley said, diving the property into three sections (the other two being the main section and the Royal Service section).

Bradley also took the time to thank travel agents for their support of Melia.

“The agents are very important to Melia,” she told PAX. “We have a great relationship with tour operators because we don’t sell direct. The operators work with agents and on the same note, we do our best to take care of them the best we can. There’s a lot of agents out there and they’ve been very good to us so we give back.”