First US Chain Hotel In A Half-Century Opens In Cuba Tuesday June 28,2016

Starwood Hotels on Tuesday June 28,2016 took over management of a luxury hotel in central Havana, becoming the first big American hospitality chain with a presence on the island since the Cuban Revolution a half-century ago.

The newly-rechristened Cuba Four Points by Sheraton on Havana's Quinta Avenida, a hotel owned by the Cuban military, now will be managed by the American hospitality giant.

Located in Havana's Miramar district, the posh hotel, formerly known as the Quinta Avenida hotel, has rooms available from $246 per night, according to its website.

Management of the hotel under the Starwood banner is a point of pride, said Jorge Giannattasio, who oversees the company's Latin American properties.

"It's a unique moment, a special moment" to be the first US-based hotel company in 55 years to locate in Cuba, Giannattasio said at a ceremony late Tuesday marking the re-opening of the newly-refurbished, 186-room hotel.

One of the world's leading hospitality companies, Starwood has more than 1,300 properties in about 100 countries, and also runs the Meridien, W, Westin and Sheraton hotels chains.

The company soon will assume management of another iconic Cuban hotel, the Inglaterra, an 83-room property which first opened in 1875.

Starwood's entry into the hospitality industry on the Communist island is the latest sign of normalized ties between the United States and Cuba