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Three historic hotels are part of the expansion: Hotel Inglaterra, Hotel Quinta Avenida and Hotel Santa Isabel, which will all be undergoing renovations and rebranding later this year.

Currently, hotels in Cuba are state-run, but with the new merger, Starwood is planning to rebrand the hotels and staff them with locals.

The deals come just as Cuba is expecting an influx of tourists from the U.S. Last year, the country received over 3.5 million tourists from around the world.

Since the diplomatic thaw between Cuba and the U.S., Cuban officials and tourist agencies have been worried about having enough space to house tourists.

Americans still can't get tourist visas, but with more round trip flights, other companies are looking to invest in the island's industries.

American and Cuban officials signed an agreement on Feb. 16 to resume commercial flights between the two countries.

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Thousands of UGA students enjoy during the annual “Frat Beach” party for the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game on St. Simons Island, Friday, November 1, 2024. On the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game, St. Simons Island’s East Beach becomes “Frat Beach,” an open-air party teeming with thousands of highly inebriated college students. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC