Bram Krikke no longer wants to go to Cuba after the tragic gas explosion in the historic Saratoga hotel, which killed dozens of people. “I don’t want to stay in a hotel like that.”
It is May 6, 2022 when things go completely wrong in the Cuban capital Havana: the historic Saratoga hotel is extremely damaged by a gas explosion. Since the hotel was being renovated at the time, no rooms were full. Yet 47 people died, while 52 others were injured. Many of them were employees.
Never to Cuba
The Saratoga hotel never reopened due to the immense damage. The five-star hotel was a popular place among international stars such as Mick Jagger, Madonna and Beyoncé. But Bram Krikke? He will never be able to sleep there again. In fact, he doesn’t want that at all. Because of this explosion, he never wants to go on holiday to the whole of Cuba again.
According to Bram, this has to do with the way he grew up. “I grew up in a safe environment, my parents were always concerned. I have adopted that, I am a control freak,” he says in the LINDA.meiden.
‘Completely cured’
Bram will never book a ticket to Cuba again. “I wanted to go to Cuba, but a hotel had exploded due to a gas leak. Then I am immediately completely healed from that country. You’ll see, I’m going there and I’m also staying in a hotel like that.”
Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? A gas leak can happen anywhere, right? “Lately I’ve been trying to let it go more. My girlfriend keeps a list of my fears. It makes me laugh too, you know. It is not that I go through life afraid and skittish, but I do leave things behind because I think: it is dangerous.”
Heart attack
What other things does Bram not do out of fear? “For example, if someone says, ‘I know a person who had a heart attack by taking a cold shower,’ I will never do that again.”
Now that the ticket to Havana is cancelled, what does Bram spend his money on? “I have a great relationship with my parents. They have always taken good care of me, I like that I can now do that again. I recently treated them to a holiday, and if a laptop breaks down, I jump in straight away. I really like that.”