HAVANA, Cuba. – The first group of tourists hasn’t arrived yet in Havana, and not only have housing rental prices begun to increase in anticipation of reopening and a return to “normalcy” on November 15, but also many hostel owners are making it clear that they will accept no more domestic clients.
Their “condescendence” this past year and a half in the absence of international tourism was not only circumstantial, but also clandestine, since there is still a prohibition against certain types of rentals, like “by the hour” or “daily pool and beach” rentals.
It had nothing to do with ending discriminatory practices once and for all, nothing to do with treating domestic clients on equal footing with foreigners, but instead –as someone put it to me when speaking of the subject- “with eating cassava bread when there is no regular bread.”
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A practice that is not exclusive of private renters, but that also, in its own “institutional” practice, has become the norm in state hotels and recreational facilities who advise that “they reserve the right of admission” which really means, among other things that are equally discriminatory, that foreign tourists have total priority –even impunity- and that Cuban nationals are “ancillary clients”, second-class citizens, even when they are willing to pay more than a foreigner for the service, and to pay in hard currency.
“There is a myth about foreigners being more careful and respectful, and that they pay better, and that Cubans destroy everything and are ill-mannered, when the truth is that there are all types of people in both groups,” states Nora, a house renter in Old Havana.
She adds: “There are renters here that say they will not rent to Cubans because Cubans bring prostitutes to the house and get drunk or do drugs. In my experience, foreigners are worse because with Cubans, you just call the police and it’s over with. They arrest everybody. But when a foreigner brings in the prostitutes and wreaks havoc –even involving minors- and smokes pot, the police comes and arrests the prostitutes but doesn’t say a word to the foreigner. Then, he does it again because he knows he’s untouchable.”
Ideal property for foreign officials. A subtle way of saying “Cubans are not
welcome” (Credit: Screenshot/Cortesía)
However, opinions like the one above favorable to domestic clients are not frequent. A majority of renters with whom we spoke about the exclusions agreed that, after November 15th, they will only rent to foreigners, just as they did before the closing due to the health emergency.
Reasons for such selectivity are diverse, some are based on the way renters secure clients, whether it’s through agencies abroad, like Airbnb, or through contracts with Cuban companies linked to the Ministry of Tourism, where also there is no business transacted with Cuban clients. There is an exception made with Cuban nationals who reside abroad, for they are considered not “foreigners” exactly, but as an intermediary category between a foreign tourist and a Cuban who resides in the island.
However, among those who promote their rentals themselves, through Internet and social media, the exclusion of Cuban clients is due to very different reasons, some strictly prejudiced and discriminatory.
“I started this business to rent to foreigners. I rented to Cubans during the coronavirus, but as soon as things return to normal, I will not rent to Cubans again. When a Cuban has money in his pocket, he becomes arrogant and conceited,” states Miguel Ángel, owner of one of the many hostels and rental homes who, to stay afloat during the absence of tourists, started renting clandestinely by the hour, what is commonly known in the streets of Havana as mataderos or tumbaderos (“brothel rooms” or “rooms for sex”).
“I did it out of necessity, but the truth is I don’t want any Cubans in here anymore. They leave the rooms like pig sties. Condoms everywhere; you have to spend the next day washing all the bedsheets and towels, not to mention that they turn the air conditioning up all the way. Foreigners, on the other hand, sometimes don’t even turn on the air conditioning. True, I was able to cover daily costs, but it’s over. No Cubans. Also, not all foreigners: no Chinese and no Russians, because they are also filthy.”
Lisandra, a renter whose property is in a centric area of El Vedado, states the following: “I think it’s because Cubans have no manners. Foreigners are different.” Contrary to other renters, she decided to shut down her business during the health emergency, and now awaits the renewal of services after November 15th, only for foreigners. She won’t even rent to Cuban Americans because, in her opinion, “abroad they are one thing, but no sooner that they step on Cuban soil, they go back to being what they were before they left Cuba.”
“I used to accept them before, but after two or three mishaps with Cuban Americans, I didn’t rent to them anymore. (…) They rent, and then they start bringing people in, a cousin, the grandmother, and before you know it, they have 10 people in the room. They blast the music as if they were in a nightclub, and when you say something, they tell you that they are paying customers. They come here to do what they cannot do in Miami, because over there the police aren’t kidding around. (…) Here, they bribe the police with a few dollars, they buy them beer, and don’t be surprised if it’s you they shut down. (…) I don’t want any Cubans here,” Lisandra repeated several times during our conversation.
Then there are those who feel that it’s not about discrimination as much as cost-effectiveness, shrewdness, craftiness, getting the most out of the rental business. Take Andrea, a renter in Old Havana who claims not to hold any prejudice against her fellow Cubans. She just feels she can get “more out of foreigners and spend less doing it.”
“You can’t fool Cubans. They know how much a beer or a bottle of water costs; foreigners who are new to the country are gullible. You can charge them US$ 10 for a cheap Mayabe beer, and the fools will pay for it. Cubans, when their rental period is over, will take with them the slivers of soap and what’s left of the toilet paper, everything they can take, they take, even the key, if you are not careful. You can get more bang for your buck with foreigners,” states Andrea.
It’s too early to know exactly what will happen with the non-state sector regarding rentals and health regulations. It seems like, in order to prevent more disappointments in today’s already-tense political climate, many regulations will be relaxed and the state will not harass renters as much as it did before, all in the interest of tourists arriving in hoards to “the land of cheap sex”, to the land where foreigners enjoy rights and freedoms that Cuban nationals only dream of, and also to keep happy and busy that significant segment of the population –perhaps more than half- whose personal finances depend directly or indirectly on the arrival of tourists.
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