Casa particular

The business may be operated either as a primary occupation or as a secondary source of income, and the staff often consists of the house's owner(s) and members of their family who live there.

Moreover, in spite of the lack of reliable and cost effective internet access on the island, many casas have some sort of web presence.

Very recently, following the new course in Cuba–US relations, big online players of the sharing economy and tourism business (such as Airbnb) have started including casas particulares in their offering (exclusively for US users at the moment).

Casas particulares can be recognised by a small sign on the door, with two blue triangles ("roofs") against a white background, which the owners obtain after paying a fixed per-room annual tax.

In some Cuban cities and tourist resorts, like Varadero, Playa Santa Lucia and Guardalavaca, the local municipal assemblies determined that casas particulares would represent a threat to the hotel industry, and passed some legislation placing regulations and limits on the industry forbidding the operation of these establishments.

[citation needed] As any other type of accommodation in Cuba such as hotels, camping and motels were owned by the government, the term "casa particular" stated that this kind of paid lodging was privately operated.

It ranges from basic accommodation of a room with a bed, a closet, a small table to full furnished independent apartments upgraded to western standards.