AirBNB Rentals Now Available in Cuba
AirBNB in Cuba
The biggest news for Cuban tourism recently has been the announcement by Airbnb.com that they are expanding into the Cuban market and offers over one thousand Airbnb options for travellers.
For those of you who are new to Airbnb, the concept involves people offering their own home as a place to stay and charge for the stay.
The concept differs from Couchsurfing, because Airbnb hosts charge for the stay.
The concept also differs from the idea of a British style B&B (Bed and Breakfast) because you are often staying in someone’s home (i.e .you can find yourself sharing the kitchen and other facilities).
In some Airbnbs though, accommodation units are self-contained and the range of accommodation can vary quite widely.
Airbnb has gained great momentum over the last three years, although some cities, such as New York City and Barcelona, have started to clamp down on this form of stay because the claim is that many of the hosts are failing to declare income from the people staying.
Despite the efforts of cities such as Barcelona to stop Airbnb, this wonderful and brilliant concept (in my view) continues to grow and their move into the Cuban market is very exciting.
Casa Particulars
From a traveller’s point of view, it is so easy to get stuck in the tourist bubble when visiting Cuba, although the Casa Particulars have provided a home-stay option for many years i.e. since the 1990s.
The Airbnb rentals are actually the same casa particulars that have been controlled in part by the state, but this new marketing opportunity for the accommodation owners means greater visibility.
Over time, the way in which Airbnb works, with customer accommodation and host reviews, greater transparency should help to improve the standards overall, to improve the quality and to provide a better stay.
There is now beginning to be a far greater choice for tourists visiting Cuba, but do not expect great changes very quickly.
The beauty of Cuba for me is the people and the culture.
Thus, the move towards expanding the private homestay market, I would argue, is a very good thing for those of you looking to spend some time in Cuba with the real people, experiencing the real culture and at a fair cost.
Airbnb’s introduction into Cuba has been the result of six months of work with sales representatives, having scoured the island in a bold attempt to tackle the rentals market in Cuba.
Strategically they have been very clever, out-thinking many of the traditional rentals companies, which tend to break into the private and homestay market, getting the leading market share from the start.
Havana
Manu is a great host, if you are looking for somewhere in Havana, and this rental option is an easy walk to the sea-front area, which is known as the Malecon.
Manu’s place can be rented in full and can accommodate up to three guests.
Starting at £30 a day, the price reduces for weekly and monthly stays.
Manu speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese and, having met him during my stay in Havana, I found him to be a wonderful host and very willing to help in guiding you around Havana if he is available.
Las Tunas
A lovely four-person, two-bedroom house with all amenities, including kitchen, air-conditioning (important in the hot months here) and with free car parking on-site.
Las Tunas is a city that is off the normal tourist trail but is a place I love to visit to experience a different side of Cuba.
Claudia is a great host and offers a very inexpensive and friendly place to stay.
This place is family-friendly and thus great also for family groups travelling in Cuba.
If you are travelling down through Cuba, i.e. going from Havana down to Santiago de Cuba, then stop off in the beautifully named city of ‘Las Tunas’.
Santiago de Cuba
Already popular with many visitors to the island, Santiago de Cuba is a great base from which to see Cuba.
And a great place to stay is with host Fatima. Enjoy a stunning city view as you enjoy breakfast on the terrace, in this apartment which can accommodate two guests.
Fatima speaks English and Spanish, she is very friendly and will offer you advice on everything to do with Santiago de Cuba, as a native of this city.
Thoughts
It is not straight forward though if you want to join the Airbnb revolution in Cuba!
The service is restricted (I will update this here when it changes) to American travellers and you can only stay in one of the rentals if you apply as an ‘approved traveller’ via one of the U.S. treasury programs.
This is very likely to change in the future and I will keep you posted on this page when changes are made!
At the moment though, the hard truth is that this is not much more than a marketing piece by Airbnb.
British and Canadian tourists cannot, for example, book these rentals in Cuba!
Go onto the Airbnb site and you will find that the option to book is voided out because the rentals are only for specific American travellers.
So, in many ways, I see this huge story as a big gimmick.
