News · Economy
Havana cafés and guesthouses now sell hours of internet and power to remote workers
Coworking spaces are multiplying in Havana to keep remote jobs running through blackouts that can last hours or days: an hour in one of them costs 700 pesos, according to an IPS Cuba report republished by Infobae.
Cafés, private hotels and small businesses in Havana offer internet and backup power to professionals who need a shared office to keep remote jobs going during power cuts that can stretch for hours or days, according to an IPS Cuba report republished by Infobae. The first such ventures appeared in the capital in 2020 and aimed to foster work connections; the new ones prioritise connectivity and energy autonomy.
Social media managers, programmers, designers, journalists, animators, students and freelancers working for foreign companies make up most of the clientele. Elizabeth Cuesta, a social media manager, said she has worked for months from private hotels and cafés: "I would be better off if I did not always have to leave my home to work, because there I have no connection or my battery runs out. It is an obstacle, even if it pays, because I do not live nearby."
Residencia Albero Dulce, founded by Claudia Terry, opened in 2018 as a family hotel, added wellness activities after tourism collapsed and introduced coworking in late 2025 with solar backup. Its work area charges 700 pesos an hour and offers weekly and monthly plans reaching up to 80,000 pesos for heavier use. The Kerida Habana guesthouse charges one euro an hour and La Oficina Coworking operates inside the private guesthouse Consulado 106. At the café El Bejuco, access to internet and power is usually tied to buying something.
The restaurant Grados hosts another space through the local development project Vive el Vedado, whose founder, Ernesto Asen, said the initiative was born out of the need for a community place "to be happy, to have a drink, but also to work or study," with the goal of "making a circular economy with local talent." Terry traced the growth in customers to February, when the energy crisis worsened, and linked the format to keeping alive businesses hit by the drop in tourism during 2026.
Remote work reached half a million Cuban workers in 2023, driven by the energy shortage and the covid pandemic, according to Ministry of Labour and Social Security figures cited in the report, and lost ground in later years. Law 189 of the Labour Code, in force since September 25, broadened the legal framework for remote employment and recognises hiring from abroad; a 2021 regulation already required employers to provide the resources needed to work from home.
Sources: Infobae · Serie Yamacoa: Dólar en el mercado informal (elTOQUE (tasa representativa))
Data updated: 2026-11-07T16:15:00.000Z