Havana operates under a dual accommodation system: state-run hotels and privately owned casas particulares, which became legal in 1997 under limited licensing reforms. The casa particular network expanded significantly after 2011 regulatory changes that permitted property owners to rent rooms directly to foreign visitors. A standard casa particular in Vedado or Centro Habana charges 25 to 40 CUC per night for a private room with bathroom, though rates increased following the January 2021 currency unification that eliminated the Cuban Convertible Peso and established the Cuban peso (CUP) as the sole currency at an official rate of 24 pesos per US dollar. Cash payment remains mandatory across most accommodation types, as international credit card processing remains unavailable due to ongoing US financial sanctions.
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba, constructed in 1930 by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, occupies a limestone bluff overlooking the Straits of Florida at the intersection of Calle O and the Malecón. The property contains 426 rooms across two towers, with rack rates ranging from 150 to 300 USD per night depending on room category and season. The hotel's registry includes Winston Churchill in 1946, Marlon Brando in 1956, and Beyoncé in 2013. Twin 1930s-era cannons remain installed in the garden from the 1962 October Crisis when the grounds served as a military command post. Guests requiring consistent electricity and hot water typically select this property over smaller operations, though infrastructure failures occur during peak summer months when Havana's grid experiences systematic load shedding.
Casas particulares in Habana Vieja concentrate along Calle Obispo, Calle Oficios, and streets radiating from Plaza de la Catedral. A colonial-era property on Calle Aguiar typically features 12-foot ceilings, wrought-iron balconies, and interior courtyards with original Spanish tile work dating to the 1850s or 1860s. The owner usually occupies one floor and rents two or three bedrooms on another level. Breakfast costs an additional 5 to 7 USD and consists of tropical fruit, bread, eggs, and Cuban coffee brewed in a cloth filter. Some homeowners speak functional English acquired through previous employment in tourism, though Spanish remains the primary communication language in 85 percent of properties. The government requires casa owners to maintain a registration book documenting each guest's passport number, arrival date, and planned departure date, which police inspect during random compliance visits.
The Vedado neighborhood, developed between 1859 and 1930 on a grid plan designed by the Compañía Urbanizadora de La Habana, contains accommodation along north-south streets numbered from 1 to 27 and east-west lettered avenues from A to P. A 1950s-era apartment on Calle 17 between Paseo and Avenida de los Presidentes rents for 30 to 50 USD nightly and typically includes a kitchen, living room, and private terrace with sight lines to the Straits of Florida. The neighborhood's proximity to the Malecón positions properties within a 15-minute walk of the seawall that extends 8 kilometers from the Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta to the Almendares River mouth. Airbnb resumed Cuba operations in April 2015, though the platform suspended Cuban transactions in June 2017 following revised US Treasury Department regulations, then reinstated service in November 2017 under specific licensing categories. The platform listed approximately 4,000 Havana properties as of March 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic reduced active listings by 60 percent.
State-run hotels in the three-star category include properties managed by Cubanacan and Gran Caribe, which operate facilities constructed during the Soviet partnership period from 1961 to 1991. Hotel Habana Libre, originally the Havana Hilton when it opened March 19, 1958, stands 25 stories at the intersection of Calle L and Calle 23 in Vedado. Fidel Castro maintained his headquarters on the 24th floor for three months following the January 1, 1959 entry into Havana. The property contains 572 rooms with rates from 80 to 120 USD per night. Guests report inconsistent water pressure above the 15th floor and periodic air conditioning failures during July and August when ambient temperatures reach 32 to 35 degrees Celsius. The hotel's Cabaret Turquino operates on the top floor Thursday through Saturday with shows beginning at 10 PM and a 25 USD cover charge including two drinks.
Playa and Miramar, residential districts west of the Almendares River, contain diplomatic residences and joint-venture hotels constructed after 1995 foreign investment law modifications. The Meliá Habana, operated by Spain's Meliá Hotels International since 1998, occupies a 10-hectare site on Avenida 3ra between Calles 76 and 80. The property contains 409 rooms with published rates from 140 to 250 USD per night. A business center provides internet access at 6 USD per hour, though connection speeds rarely exceed 256 kilobits per second due to Cuba's reliance on the ALBA-1 fiber optic cable to Venezuela, which experiences frequent capacity constraints. The hotel accepts advance payment through international bank transfer, though the sender's financial institution must confirm compliance with US Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations if the transaction originates from a US-regulated entity.
The paladar system emerged in 1993 when the Cuban government permitted families to operate restaurants from private homes with a maximum of 12 chairs. Regulations expanded in 2011 to remove the seating cap and allow independent facilities rather than requiring home-based operations. San Cristóbal, located at Calle San Rafael 469 between Calles Lealtad and Campanario in Centro Habana, operates in a restored colonial building where Barack Obama dined on March 20, 2016 during the first US presidential visit since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. The restaurant serves ropa vieja at 12 USD, grilled fish at 15 USD, and lobster at 25 USD, with portions sized for single diners rather than the shared-plate format common in Cuban homes. The interior features exposed brick walls, antique ceiling fans, and photographs documenting the Obama visit. Reservation phone numbers listed on internet directories often connect to non-functioning lines, requiring potential guests to visit in person between 10 AM and noon to book evening tables.
La Guarida occupies the third floor of a deteriorating apartment building at Concordia 418 between Gervasio and Escobar in Centro Habana. The restaurant opened in 1996 in the same structure used for filming Fresa y Chocolate, the 1993 Tomás Gutiérrez Alea film that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Guests climb a marble staircase with missing balustrades and peeling walls before entering a dining room with pressed-tin ceilings and crystal chandeliers. The menu includes lobster enchilada at 28 USD, lamb shanks at 22 USD, and tuna tartare at 18 USD. Wine selections come from Spanish, Chilean, and Argentine producers with markup ranging from 200 to 400 percent over European retail prices. The restaurant requires advance reservation through email, though responses arrive inconsistently due to Cuba's internet infrastructure limitations that restrict most residential and commercial connections to government-controlled access points.
Doña Eutimia, situated in a narrow passageway off Plaza de la Catedral at Callejón del Chorro 60C, serves traditional Cuban preparations in a 16-seat space that opened in 2011. The kitchen operates from 11 AM to 11 PM daily except Tuesday. Ropa vieja costs 9 USD, arroz con pollo costs 8 USD, and tostones cost 2 USD as a side dish. The restaurant sources pork from state-approved suppliers in Artemisa province, 60 kilometers southwest of Havana, where cooperative farms raise animals to government weight specifications. Yuca con mojo appears on the menu year-round using cassava harvested in Pinar del Río province. The dining room contains six tables arranged along a corridor with walls painted colonial yellow and decorated with framed photographs of 1950s Havana street scenes. No telephone reservation system exists; guests arrive and wait for available seating, with typical waits of 30 to 90 minutes during the December to March high season.