I had a guest instant book for a checkin today. We have a st...
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I had a guest instant book for a checkin today. We have a strict 4pm checkin time & they showed up at 2:15 saying they chose ...
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It is true that the magic of Havana is to be frozen in time. We are like a museum surrounded by beach, sun, rumba, tobacco and rum with cars from the 50's and old buildings in ruins mix with certain sparkles of modern architecture. However, we are much more than that and tourists also want to feel our culture and its beauty, to know the city before everything changes and modernizes. This is well known by travelers who choose to book on Airbnb, because they choose not the “package holiday” tourism, the "all inclusive" tourism that keeps them in their comfort zone and takes them away from the happiness of knowing the real Cuba and the human warmth of its people.
However, coming closer to our way of life and our culture involves facing and understanding the particularities of the island; where internet access is limited, there is a scarcity of basic products, reduced transportation services and monetary duality are the scenario of every day for Cubans. This can be overwhelming and difficult to understand for those who visit the country. Since we began to rent our apartment I understood that one of the fundamental premises was PROACTIVITY, that is, to have the ability to anticipate the needs of guests and thus solve the obstacles mentioned above quickly and effectively:
Limited Internet access
Internet access in Cuba is very limited and the wifi connection is not free. Both locals and tourists must go to the points of sale of Etecsa, the only existing telecommunications company, to buy cards and access the Internet. In July 2019 new regulations came into force and another possibility has been opened for the private sector to connect to the wifi service from homes, but it is necessary to be very close to the areas where the signal exists, since the equipment allowed to obtain it have to meet frequency requirements and are also acquired at a high cost. For this reason many hosts are still limited to offering this service. This leads to the loss of reservations, since internet access is an indispensable and non-negotiable requirement for many travelers.
Immersed in this unfavorable scenario, where demand exceeds supply and the shortage of cards to connect to the internet prevails, some hosts choose to provide such cards at the same cost price during check in. Recently, the Cuban government implemented internet service from cell phones using mobile data, which has allowed for more efficient management of online bookings. In our case, we give the guest a cell phone with a national line with the possibility of incorporating mobile data. In this way, travelers who come to visit different provinces can communicate with their other hosts and coordinate the next check in, excursions, etc. Similarly, those who do not come with an established route can book over the Internet, either by wifi using cards or with mobile data.
Product shortages
Since the beginning of 2019, Cuba has been on the verge of a crisis and the shortage of products has reached its maximum expression, not only because of the economic blockade by the United States and the internal problems associated with the Cuban socialist economic model, but also because the country does not have the liquidity to undertake imports. The accumulation of debts and the non-granting of short-term credits are part of this unfavorable circle that forces the Cuban government to regulate the sale of food and products. In the midst of this hostile terrain where scarcity predominates, private businesses are affected and for the hosts it is very complicated to maintain the supply of basic elements such as sheets, towels, detergent, sanitary paper, etc. as well as to guarantee an adequate maintenance of the houses due to the deficit of construction materials and electrical appliances.
We have two options: to stop offering certain products, risking that the quality of the service is deficient, or to try to make sure the problem affects us to a lesser extent. Many Cuban hosts allocate a larger fund for the purchase of items and thus have a larger stock of items. Hoarding is an alternative and you have to have the time to locate the products, make long queues to acquire them, etc.. In our case as a courtesy we provide our guests with certain foods that are difficult to acquire, some we give as a gift and others at the same cost price to make your breakfast or light dinner if they wish.
Dual currency
On the island there are two currencies issued by the National Bank of Cuba: the CUP (Cuban peso) and the CUC (Cuban convertible peso). The tourism sector works with CUC. The foreign currency brought by the tourist is exchanged by CUC for use in “Paladares” or restaurants, nightclubs and shops. In the mall, the products appear with two prices. The upper one indicates the value in CUP and the lower one is in CUC. To buy fruits, vegetables and vegetables the prices that appear on the table are always in CUP, although they accept the CUC with the respective exchange rate (1 CUC = 23 - 25 CUP). The subject is complex for Cubans and for tourists it is exhausting, even more so when they do not speak the same language. It is not uncommon for tourists to pay in CUC and receive the change in CUP, thus losing a lot of money. That's why it's very important to explain this aspect at check-in. We elaborate a guide and in the tips appears a photo with both types of bills. A tip to distinguish them? CUCs have monuments printed on them and CUPs have faces of national heroes.
Shortage of transportation services
In the country there is no application for transportation services such as Uber or Lyft. The cost of renting a car through official channels is usually in the minimum range of 60 USD per day without including fuel and in most cases tourists discard this option because of its high cost. The most competitive transportation prices are offered by the company Viazul that offers buses to all provinces, however on several occasions there is no availability of tickets due to high demand. As a palliative to this problem many hosts have contacts that manage fleets of collective and private taxis in all provinces of the country at reasonable prices to promote the transfer of our guests. Offers of excursions, citytours and convertible cars are part of the range of services provided.
In spite of the adversities, the private sector in Cuba dedicated to renting their houses has known how to generate an adequate response to the problems and the majority of the guests are grateful for our effort in offering a quality service. Today we are proud to be one of Airbnb's fastest-growing markets.
