Enjoy Cuba at Aston’s hotels

By: Daily Pérez Guillén

The Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas Beach Resort & Spa was the first hotel operated by the Archipelago International chain in Cuba, and remains a prized hotel for the Indonesian company that continues to expand its business in this country and the Caribbean region.

Located on a headland in the first hotel zone of the Cayo Santa María tourist resort, which lies off the north-central coast of Cuba, this facility stands out among those surrounded by the sea and the greenery of the region’s coastal vegetation. “Made up of 727 rooms, unlike the other properties it is divided into three sections: a family area, another one for adults and one we call Fiesta, our exclusive brand that includes an extra-hotel plaza, a special feature of our hotel. We are the only chain and the only hotel that has a plaza,” explains Director Enércido Metz.

Enércido Metz, General Director The Grand Aston Cayo Las Brujas Beach Resort & Spa

The diversity and number of restaurants is another feature that distinguishes the facility. “Inside the hotel we normally have six restaurants open, plus those in the plaza and five others, for a total of thirteen. One of the most iconic is the French restaurant; the Italian is also very popular, and we also have a seafood restaurant, a Cuban restaurant and a Caribbean restaurant. In the extra-hotel plaza area we have the space that we normally use for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the guests we have staying in the 67 rooms of the Aston Fiesta. We also have a Japanese restaurant, this is one of the few hotels that has a teppanyaki, and we have a bodegón and a trattoria with very high demand.

Most travelers who choose the Grand Aston Cayo las Brujas for their vacations in Cuba will have the sea on the horizon, since 70 percent of its rooms overlook it.

“The location also gives us another advantage. We are located closer to the Santa Clara airport, as one of the first hotels at the entrance of Cayo Santa María,” Metz notes, who has worked at this property for six years. The site also has a beach with crystal-clear and calm waters, where  typical coastal fauna can be found, offering another attraction for those who enjoy being in contact with nature.

Among the strengths and greatest qualities of this hotel, its director highlights, is the commitment and friendliness of its staff. “Most of the clients who visit us leave very satisfied with the effort of the workers, they come to give the best of themselves every day.”

The hotel’s website also informs of its opportunities to host wedding ceremonies, birthdays or corporate events in a paradisiacal outdoor setting, either in lush gardens, on the beach or indoors, as this Aston includes all such facilities and its experienced team will prepare the event according to clients’ needs and requirements.

Archipelago International grows in Cuba and the Caribbean

The Indonesian chain manages more than 3,000 rooms in the main tourist areas of Cuba, but projects continue.

“We are in negotiations to operate a charter flight from Seoul starting in December. Representatives and agency owners have visited us on different occasions in Cayo Paredón, Cayo Las Brujas, Varadero and Havana. We want to create a kind of circuit for Archipelago hotels. Cuba was our first incursion into the Caribbean and now we are moving to the Dominican Republic and Mexico,”  Metz details.

The Dominican director has a strong sense of belonging to the company that welcomed him and has provided him with opportunities for professional growth. He highlights the new openings in his home country, which breaks tourism records every month, and in Mexico. “Already in the Dominican Republic, two city hotels are opening this summer, one with 156 rooms and another with 120, and we are working on the construction and negotiation of another project. In Mexico we have five hotels.”

Meanwhile, the Aston Panorama Havana, now undergoing a total renovation, will reopen under the management of this company soon.

The director also refers to the rest of the Aston hotels, the first of the brand outside the Asian region: “The Grand Aston Varadero Beach, a five-star hotel with 531 rooms, is an exquisite property. It is a hotel that has all its services concentrated, good gastronomy, with a flagship restaurant, the Nakamura, recognized by travelers as one of the best in the entire area. Its conceptualization was implemented by our Vice President José Luis Leonardo and the corporate chef Juan Carlos Prats, a 3 Michelin Star chef who has been working with us for several years. We want to position it as one of the best hotels in Cuba. We understand that it has the potential and that we have the capacity to place it in that position.”

In his opinion, the Grand Aston Cayo Paredón, located in the Jardines del Rey tourist resort, has been one of the best positioned hotels. “Very nice, divided into three sections: family, adult and the club part. In Holguín right now we are undertaking a capital remodeling because it is the oldest of all the hotels we manage. But it is beautiful and the human quality of its staff is incredible, very professional. In any of the Aston hotels here in Cuba, we guarantee that you will enjoy your vacation and, above all, the human quality of our personnel and the entire executive staff,” Metz concludes.