Starfish Guardalavaca Hotel: Reborn in Adversity

Where the Caribbean Sea laps the fine white sands of Guardalavaca Beach, a silent battle is waged in pursuit of exemplarity. It is the battle for excellence amidst the precariousness and economic challenges of today’s Cuba. It is the struggle to build, brick by brick and smile by smile, a new tourism offering. The three-star, adults-only Starfish Guardalavaca Hotel is emerging not only as a new brand on the Cuban hotel map, but also as a social experiment in collective resilience.

Since November 1st, the Blue Diamond brand has reigned supreme where part of the Hotel Club Amigo Atlántico once stood. But the administrative separation began shortly before, in July, marking the beginning of a race against time to reconvert. With limited resources and inventiveness that endures beyond limitations, a facility with more than two decades of history. A genesis that dates back to the beginnings of the Guardalavaca tourist resort, inaugurated by Fidel Castro, and which today is writing a new chapter.

A Rebirth Through Recycling and Effort

The complex is a dual entity. On the one hand, the former Guardalavaca Hotel, the pioneer, with 233 rooms, many of which are now waiting for the real estate developer to unlock their future with a capital investment. On the other, nine villas that, after a titanic restoration project, make up the 144 rooms currently in operation.

“Our biggest task was trying to rescue and reuse all the furniture, including that which was in the Guardalavaca Hotel after many years of operation,” explains Anays Hernández, deputy general manager and Cuban representative of the facility.

Her story is a catalog of achievements: unused premises since 2018 that had to be rehabilitated. The waterproofing of all the villas, interior and exterior painting, and the metamorphosis of spaces.

“Where the Club Amigo mini-club used to be, dinner is now served in a specialty restaurant with a popular terrace attached. The former café cantante is now the Legend bar. Even the buffet is an act of improvisation transformed into a virtue: it occupied the space of a theme restaurant, and despite its small size, it also includes a 24-hour snack bar,” Hernández explains. This is the philosophy of the project.

The essence of the project: a dedicated group

If walls could talk, they wouldn’t tell stories of excessive luxury, but of human effort. The 168-person workforce is the pillar on which this seemingly impossible miracle is based. “It’s a very dedicated, dedicated, hard-working group that has managed to keep the hotel going in adverse situations,” emphasizes the assistant manager.

Hernández’s story paints a picture of daily challenges that go beyond work: transportation problems, material shortages, the ever-present shadow of the “deficit.” However, he emphasizes that “regardless of this, no service has ever been left unfinished.” It’s the work ethic in a context where mere assistance is an act of heroism.

A vision shared by Andreu Capilla Murillo, the Spanish Food and Beverage Director. Having been in Cuba for almost a year, he highlights the daily work with workers and suppliers “to always try to have the best product we can find.” He acknowledges the difficulties, but insists on the antidote: “Desire, with hard work, with a lot of dedication… we always try to offer our best service and our best smile.”

For Capilla, the hotel is a “perfect place to come, to relax,” and his goal is clear: “to continue making it a hotel… little by little, over time, I think we’re achieving it.”

At the heart of the Starfish Guardalavaca kitchen beats the passion of a man who has been seasoning Cuban tourism for 28 years. Ulises Michel Pérez Caballero, Head Chef, is the force behind the stove, a master who transforms scarcity into creativity and leads by example. His story is one of an unwavering love for his craft.

The Customer and the Verdict of Repeat Visits

In the tourism equation, the customer is the ultimate judge. And their judgment, here, is overwhelmingly clear: return. Héctor Pérez Ramos is on his fifth visit since opening Starfish. “And it’s my life. Because it’s family, it’s love, it’s everything.” His praise for the service is categorical: “I love everyone, it’s wonderful.”

Mariluz Llanes Font values, above all else, the freedom and tranquility of an adults-only hotel. “The customer isn’t looking for control. The customer is looking for freedom of recreation, of enjoyment.” It’s a revealing comment that points to an intangible value as crucial as the food or the infrastructure: the sense of autonomy.

Although he mentions his dissatisfaction with the cuisine: “For example, I like yogurt and there isn’t any,” his argument focuses on compensation: “I value the staff’s willingness and commitment to making guests feel good… we will be lifelong guests at this hotel.”

For his part, Evelio Quevedo Fernández provides an economic and comparative perspective. “It’s the only adults-only hotel on the Atlantic coast of Holguin and… economically speaking, it’s the most affordable hotel in Holguin.” After visiting a similar establishment in Varadero, his conclusion is resounding: “Price, excellent quality, the service is incredible, the staff is excellent, very professional. That’s why we come back.”

Friday at the Starfish Guardalavaca is not just any day. It’s a date with the very soul of Cuba and its people. A ritual that begins with music reminiscent of this town’s African roots. While peasant traditions, pieces of roasted pork, stories of vintage cars, and the contagious rhythm of son (son) add character to the afternoon.

Ricardo Rojas: The Master Hand Weaving the Gardens of the Starfish Hotel

Behind the lush botanical beauty that greets guests at the Starfish Hotel lies a story of reinvention, love for the land, and a creative eye. Ricardo Rojas Fonseca, head gardener, a guajiro at heart, traded security for plants six years ago to give life to one of the hotel’s hallmarks.

The meticulous design of the hotel’s gardens does not respond to a preconceived plan, but rather to the creativity and empirical knowledge of Ricardo Rojas Fonseca, its head gardener. Every flowerbed, every pruned figure, and every explosion of color is the result of a work philosophy that he defines with one word: love.

“I’m a guajiro, from the Havana area. “I love this profession. I do it with love and affection,” says Rojas, who has 24 years of experience in the tourism sector. He dedicated his first sixteen years to security and protection at the Club Amigo Atlántico, where he even had the mission of guarding the Cuban Five. However, a deeper passion came knocking. “I had been doing security for many years, and age changes you. I liked gardening,” he recalls about his transition in 2018.

Maintaining this little paradise is a daily and dedicated task that includes pruning, mowing, watering, and constant fertilizing with topsoil. “To keep this place so beautiful, it takes a lot of work,” he concludes.

Although their work seems to take place among the plants, Rojas and his team have a direct and memorable interaction with guests. A very popular service they provide is the delivery of fresh coconuts directly to guests, an authentically Caribbean gesture that has become a signature experience for the hotel. “Whenever they see a gardener, the first thing they do is ask for one,” he comments.

Furthermore, his department is crucial in wedding decoration, whether on the seafront or the beach, helping to create unique moments for the bride and groom and their guests.

Ricardo’s dedication to service is rooted in his family. His father, Darío Rojas Rojas, was a founder and master chef at hotels in the area, a legacy Ricardo decided not to follow in the kitchen, but rather in the same sector, finding his own passion in the land. “That’s for them. My thing is gardening,” he asserts with conviction.

Today, he feels “quite comfortable” in his role, supported by a hotel management that “supports me in every way.” His satisfaction is reflected in that of his guests, many of whom are repeat visitors to the former Club Amigo and now choose Starfish precisely because of the care and attention they receive, an environment of which Ricardo Rojas’s gardens are a fundamental part.

The future: perfection as a horizon, not a goal

The road ahead is as long as it is exciting. Occupancy hovers between 40% and 50%, a figure Anays Hernández hopes to see at 100%. She dreams of “satisfied customers and committed employees with a sense of belonging.” She acknowledges the loose ends: strengthening forces in battered departments like finance and entertainment, and continuing to renovate spaces that are still in the process of improvement, such as the offices and the buffet area.

The immediate horizon includes an ambitious project: a Premium Class section with royal floor service, a separate reception desk, and butler service, a qualitative leap that aims to elevate the guest experience.

But the true lesson of Starfish Guardalavaca goes beyond occupancy figures or new services. It is a case study of how human will can overcome material shortcomings. A reminder that in the leisure industry, genuine hospitality, friendly service, and the ability to rise above the daily grind are the most valuable and difficult-to-copy products.

It’s a hotel that, aware that work can always be improved, has found its greatest motivation for improvement in the dissatisfaction of its guests and the economic limitations of a country economically besieged by a powerful empire. They haven’t reached their goal, but every day, with each guest who bids them farewell with the promise of returning, they demonstrate that they are on the right path. The path of collective effort.

*The author thanks Natalia Díaz Riverón and Yailín Ojeda Grass for their contributions.

Translated by Aliani Rojas Fernandez