Through his account on X, the head of State expressed being shocked, and sent condolences to the family, friends and members of the hotel group.

“He bet on Cuba and leaves us very valuable lessons to follow. Farewell friend,” he wrote on the social network.

Honorary president of Meliá Hotels International, after resigning a little over a year ago to continue leading the group, Gabriel Escarrer founded the chain in Mallorca in 1956, when he was only 21 years old. The consortium currently operates on five continents with 380 establishments, many of them in Latin America, in countries such as Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Earlier this month, the company itself reported that it had achieved revenues of 1,544 million euros in the first nine months of the current year.

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