Translation of espantar

The entrance hall had a design of the seventies which I found charming. An older man came towards me an asked me whether I needed a ride. I agreed and we drove to downtown of Havana, capital of Cuba.
She found it very unromantic that a man would not declare friendship to a woman. Anyway, after an hour or so they got off at a town called Chetumal which was on the border with Belize, where they lived.
I called the Hilton hotel in Cuba and asked them whether it was worth coming or if they suggest to postpone the arrival. Their response was clear: Don't come unless you really have too.