HAVANA.– Habaguanex, the government entity that runs 12 hotels in Old Havana, has closed two of them amid speculation that more will follow suit. 

According to cubanet.org, an informed source attributed the decision to close the O'Farrill and San Miguel hotels to a fall-off in tourism. The modestly priced hotels were among those patronized by many Latin American and European tourists. 

The hotels under the management of Habaguanex include the Ambos Mundos, where writer Ernest Hemingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls," the Santa Isabel, Raquel, Valencia, Telégrafo, Beltrán and Conde de Villanueva. 

The government prohibits Cubans from staying at hotels geared for the tourist trade, saying that this would unjustly favor those who receive dollars from relatives abroad.