Cubans now allowed to stay in "Tourist" Hotels

[Gambitt]

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuba will allow its citizens to stay in hotels previously reserved for foreigners, the latest in a series of decisions to lift bans on goods and services that the average Cuban can't afford.


The National Hotel in Havana is one of the hotels in which Cubans can now stay if they are able to afford it.

1 of 2 The prohibition on staying in foreigners-only hotels unnerved many Cubans, who complained that foreigners were being afforded rights that were denied to ordinary citizens.

Cubans will be allowed to stay in the hotels beginning at midnight Monday, said employees at several Havana hotels. Word of the change came from Tourism Ministry officials, the employees said.

For most Cubans, the measure is largely symbolic, as hotel rates are unaffordable. Tourist hotels in Cuba can cost anywhere from $60 to more than $200 a night -- well out of reach for most Cubans, who earn fewer than $20 a month on average.

The hotel announcement comes after the government lifted a ban last week on Cubans owning cell phones. That privilege, too, will be too costly for most Cubans.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/03/31/cuba.hotels/

[Gambitt]

While opening the hotels to Cuban Nationals appears to be good news for the average Cuban, I hope it comes with some common sense to preclude the jinetera/jinetero possibilities.

When you figure out who has the best access to CUC's and Foreign currency, it could cause a bunch of new problems.

[Jammyisme]

okay Ill bite.     

Whats a jinetera/jinetero ??     

[Gambitt]

That would be a "lady of the evening" or the male version thereof...

[flopnfly]

Is it only in Havana, or does it also include the AI geared towards the tourists?

[Beachlover too]

I was in Cuba when this new law came into effect.  The first few days I was there, a young Cuban lady was at the resort with a tourist.  She wore a different colour bracelet and had to leave at 6pm.  Within 2 days of the announcement, she was wearing the same colour band as all the other guests, and could stay overnight.  She was a nice girl, and quite polite.

I'm not judging by the way...just stating what happened a week ago in Santa Lucia.

[flopnfly]

I'm glad to hear that they can now enjoy some of what we enjoy.  Of course it still depends on if they have the money to pay for the resort, but isn't that like all the rest of us?   

I've noticed in the Domican that a lot of the locals come in on the weekends with their families.  Unfortunately they don't all know how to behave themselves, and they tend to take over everything including butting in line for drinks and food.  Not all of them, but quite a lot of them.

I'm sure that won't happen in Cuba, the Cubans are much friendlier

[Charmainiac]

Last week in Guardalavaca,the hotel was crawling with jinetera's/o's...accompanying the usual tourons. 
I met some Cubans at the hotel through the week who had the differently coloured wristbands and were leaving by 6 pm...they had some interesting things to say about the situation. However, ultimately, they said however you slice it, it's still a level of freedom thast Cubans have the right to expereince, as they never have before.
Mostly, the topic of greater interest is the coming freedom to travel abroad...