On Your Next Cuban Vacation . . .

By PAUL GRAY/

Like it or not, Cuban officials are apparently preparing for the inevitable: life after the disappearance of the yearly $5 billion in Soviet aid. Twice within the past year, the heads of giant American hotel chains -- Curtis Carlson of Radisson and Jay Pritzker of Hyatt -- were invited to pay secret visits to the island. Once there, flown in surreptitiously via Mexico City, the Americans were shown scale models of prime beachfront property and asked to select one for future development. Intriguingly, these displays were set up just outside Fidel Castro's office in Havana. Castro was nowhere in sight during Carlson's visit, but Pritzker was treated to a 2 1/2-hour meeting with the leader. No deals are possible until Washington lifts its trade sanctions. But both hotel barons were assured that Cuba is willing to discuss friendlier relations with the U.S.

With reporting by DAVID ELLIS