Marriott Ordered to Cease Cuba Operations by Trump Administration

Marriott International will need to wind down operations in Cuba, a company spokeswoman told Reuters.

In an ongoing effort to tighten its embargo on Cuba, President Donald Trump has indicated that the goal is to pressure the island into democratic reform and to stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

According to the spokeswoman, the U.S. Treasury Department has ordered the company to cease its operation of the Four Points Sheraton in Havana by August 31, 2020. Marriott will also not be able to operate any of the other hotels it had plans for in the country.

The news of the order for Marriott to cease operations in the country comes after the U.S. State Department expanded its list of Cuban entities with which Americans are banned from doing business that includes military-owned financial corporation that handles U.S. remittances to Cuba.

FocusCuba’s Philip Peters told Reuters “no good had come from a lifetime of U.S. sanctions that separated the U.S. and Cuban peoples, harmed Cuba’s economy, and limited American influence in Cuba.”

FocusCuba is a business consultancy that has advised Marriott.