Cuba

The Palacio de Convenciones de La Habana, Havana's main conference venue

Which Venues in Havana Can Host a Corporate Event?

Havana's corporate event capacity sits in four places: the Palacio de Convenciones, opened in 1979 on a 60,000-square-metre site in Siboney; the PABEXPO fairground beside it; the EXPOCUBA fairground south of the city, 600,000 square metres; and the protected historic buildings of Old Havana. Cuba Luxury Rent works from all four. Headcount decides which one you want. Most planners arrive at Havana...

Zaguan and central patio of a colonial house in Old Havana, Cuba

What Is a Colonial House in Old Havana?

What Is a Colonial House in Old Havana? A colonial house in Old Havana is a building type, not a decorating style. Cuba's Oficina del Historiador classifies each of the 3,370 buildings in the 214-hectare historic centre by architectural typology - zaguán, patio, crujía, entresuelo - and by a heritage protection grade that decides what an owner may legally change. About 500 rank as high heritage...

Colonial courtyard of a private house in Old Havana, used as a wedding celebration setting for Legal marriage in Cuba

How Does a Wedding in Cuba Become a Legal Marriage?

A legal marriage in Cuba becomes offical and legal only when it's formalised before a competent official. Cuba's Family Code, Ley 156/2022, published in Gaceta Oficial No. 99 of 27 September 2022, says so in Article 201.3. Under Article 203.2, only notaries and Civil Status registrars can authorise it. Everything else is a ceremony. Couples plan this backwards. They fix the date, then the house, then...

Vedado apartment building in Plaza de la Revolucion, Havana neighbourhoods

Which Havana Neighbourhoods Does the Cuban State Rank Highest?

Cuban law sorts Havana's 15 municipalities into three tax tiers. Playa, Plaza de la Revolucion and La Habana Vieja carry the highest location coefficient, 6.0. Cerro, Centro Habana and Diez de Octubre carry 5.0. The other nine carry 4.0. The rule is Resolucion 313/2024of Cuba's Finance Ministry, in force since 15 November 2024. In Havana the neighbourhood argument is a sport. Vedado people think...

Hotel Playa Vista Azul infinity pool in Varadero. Luxury hotels in Cuba

Who Actually Runs Cuba’s Luxury Hotels Now?

Who Actually Runs Cuba's Luxury Hotels Now? Luxury hotels in Cuba: The big foreign hotel operators have left Cuba. Melia stopped managing its Cuban hotels on 24 July 2026, Iberostar the same day, Canada's Blue Diamond on 30 May. The buildings stayed open under the Cuban state companies that own them, and at least nine have already been renamed. India's MGM Muthu is still there. On 28 July, workers...

Colonial building facade in Habana Vieja, Havana, where valor catastral cuba is calculated per square metre

How Does Cuba Value a Home for Tax Purposes?

Cuba taxes a home sale on the transaction price, as long as that price sits at or above a state minimum. Two separate systems produce that minimum: the valor referencial, a five-zone table set by Resolucion 313/2024, and the valor catastral Cuba, built on a module of 13 Cuban pesos per square metre fixed by Resolucion 284/2022. Thirteen pesos. Per square metre. On 17 August 2026, elTOQUE put the...

Havana apartment building facade, subject of Cuba's new Housing Law approved July 2026

Cuba’s New Housing Law: What It Changes, and Why It Hasn’t Taken Effect Yet

Cuba approved a new Housing Law on 30 July 2026, replacing the Ley 65 of 1988. It permits ownership of up to two homes, sets conditions for foreign nationals to buy apartments through state real-estate entities, and shifts the sale tax base to cadastral value. It takes effect 90 days after publication in the Gaceta Oficial. That last sentence is the one nobody is repeating. On 11 August 2026, Cuba...