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HAVANA — Cuba has lifted a ban on its nationals staying at hotels reserved for foreign tourists, hotel employees said on Monday, the latest step lifting restrictions in the communist-run state under new President Raul Castro.
“Anyone can stay at hotels as of midnight last night, as long as they have ID and the money to pay for the room,” said the night porter at the Chateau Miramar hotel in western Havana.
Employees at several hotels confirmed this. Cubans can also rent cars and use other facilities previously limited to foreigners, industry sources said.
The lifting came three days after the government announced an end to a ban on Cubans buying and using cellular telephones.
Raul Castro took over from his ailing brother Fidel Castro as Cuba's first new leader in almost half a century on Feb. 24.
