President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Cuba this week has brought a trailblazing round of changes expected to herald a new era of travel and connectivity between Cuba and the rest of the world. On day two of his three-day visit, Obama announced a deal reached with Google to expand Wi-Fi and broadband access, paving the way for online travel agencies and home-sharing companies to expand their services on the island nation.
Priceline is the first online booking agency to be given permission to list Cuban properties on instant booking platform, Booking.com. American travelers who meet current restrictions approved by the U.S. Department of State for travel to Cuba will be able to reserve accommodations on Booking.com in the next few weeks. They’ll be able to book rooms instantly without requiring a response or accepted request from a property owner.
“With the news of the easing of U.S. travel restrictions, we began working immediately with the local Cuban government, tourism authorities and our local hotel partners to launch the first platform to allow travelers to book and confirm instantly with the click of a button,” said Todd Dunlap, managing director of the Americas for Booking.com, in a statement.
The Obama Administration also gave online home rental company Airbnb the green light to offer its Cuba listings to visitors from around the world, as soon as April 2. Private homes, known as casas particulares, were previously available only to certain U.S. travelers. Soon after diplomatic relations between the two countries began to improve in 2014, Airbnb quickly entered the Cuban market ahead of other U.S.-based lodging groups. Already more than 4,000 private homes across nearly 40 different cities and towns on the Caribbean island have joined Airbnb’s platform.
“Airbnb was built on our belief that you can belong anywhere,” said Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk. “In less than a year, this has proven true in Cuba with more than 13,000 guests from each of the 50 U.S. states. Now, we will be able to offer the same belonging to travelers from any country, while doing our part to preserve what makes Cuba so special and unique.”
Private homes afforded by Airbnb provide visitors an alternative to Cuban hotels, which are often reported to be lacking in service and infrastructure. American hotel groups are racing to lay claim to hotel real estate in Cuba; Starwood Hotels announced that it signed an agreement to bring three hotels to the island. Marriott International was also given permission to consider its own arrangements in Cuba.
