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Portugal Tourism: Room for expansion

Date: 19/3/2010

Official figures from the World Tourism Organisation point to a drop of up to 8% in tourism figures around the world this year, but this estimate has not deterred some of the major players in the Portuguese hotel business from continuing apace with investments. Numerous new projects are set to open over the next year up and down the country ranging from the classic to the ultra-modern located both in city centres and in areas of natural beauty resulting in a significant increase in investment across the industry. These revelations come despite the recent fall in tourism numbers in Portugal, where during the first trimester of this year, revenue fell to €279.2million - down 18.5% from 2008.

Altis Hotels is one of the companies that has continued its policy of expansion, and this year alone will see them open of at least three new properties.

The year began with the inauguration of the designer hotel Altis Belém & Spa in February, a 5-star hotel with 50 rooms overlooking the Tejo River near to the Discoveries Monument and the Tower of Belém. In another enviable location, but this time right in Lisbon’s city centre the Altis Avenida, will be a 1940’s glamour-inspired hotel located in the sought-after Praça dos Restauradores, set to open in September. And expected in winter 2009/2010 is the launch of Altis Prime, a residential hotel with 88 luxury apartments, from studios to 3-bedroom accommodation. Located on Rua Rodrigo da Fonseca, the project is aimed at executive clients who are able to use the services at the nearby Altis hotel.

But there’s more. CEO Raúl Martins told us there are another two projects in the pipeline. One is to be built on Avenida 24 de Julho, near the Ancient Art Museum and the other in Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo. The project on Avenida 24 de Julho is to be constructed within the creative spirit of the Santos area and will have an innovative interior whilst the other new project, Hotel Altis Marquês, has finally been approved by the local authorities and work is set to begin next March.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the big city and surrounded by the green mountains of Sintra within a UNESCO world heritage site is one of the most distinctive classic hotels in Portugal - the Tivoli Palácio de Seteais. The hotel, part of the Tivoli Hotels and Resorts chain has just emerged from a one-year refurbishment project, maintaining its 18th century palace charm whilst bringing the property up to the latest modern standards.

The Tivoli Group’s general director, Alexandre Solleiro points out: ‘The Seteais Palace is extremely valuable, not only for the group but also for Sintra, for world heritage and as an important destination in Portugal.’

In a more contemporary style but using equally classic material such as yellow fossil stone and golden frames, is the recently inaugurated Tivoli Victoria in Vilamoura, the first hotel built from scratch by the company. The resort has 280 rooms and features suites with built-in home theatre systems and personalised butler service.

Further afield is the group’s most recent investment, an urban hotel in a prime location in São Paulo, Brazil - the only member of ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ in the city.

The renovation took seven months to complete and the hotel has a total of 220 rooms and suites including the Mofarrei Presidential Suite covering an impressive 750 m2.

The Pestana group has also proven to be truly unstoppable, and new hotels are being opened not only in Portugal, but also elsewhere around the world. It is the only Portuguese hotel group to be included in the top 100 of the Corporate 300 Ranking, published by the American magazine Hotels. Placed 44th, the group currently has 85 hotels and a total of around 8200 rooms.

With EBITDA earnings of over €112 million in 2008, the group has shown a consistent internationalisation process. This year, the group has already announced a €25 million-investment in a hotel in Berlin, which will be opened in 2011 whilst in London, the Pestana Chelsea Bridge, a 4-star hotel located south of the Thames, is also in its final stage of construction and will open in October 2009. With 218 rooms, it has an unusual element whereby 66 of these rooms are available to buy, following the ‘Invest Hotel’ concept.

Miami Beach will become home to Pestana Miami, the group’s first endeavour in the US. It will be a boutique hotel, comprising three Art Deco buildings designated by the Historical Preservation Board and work is set to start in the second half of the year, with the opening expected at the end of 2010.

This year, the Pestana Promenade opened its doors in Madeira, as well as the Pestana Bahia Lodge in Brazil under the Pestana Residence chain.

The Pestana group also operate Portugal’s Pousadas and new projects include the Pousada de Viseu and Pousada do Freixo in northern Portugal and the recently opened pousada at the Estoi Palace in the Algarve.

Also in an historic building is the Cidadela de Cascais project, in which the Pestana group won a tender to operate this historic site for the next 70 years. The Pestana group will turn the old fortress into a historic pousada investing €20,5 million with building due to begin at the end of 2009 and a construction time limit of 16 months.

Further south on the Troia peninsular is the contemporary style Tróia Design Hotel which after a soft opening in March will be officially inaugurated in June. Part of the Amorim Turismo group’s Blue & Green chain, it has 61 rooms and 144 residential suites, as well as a casino and a conference centre. ‘The feedback so far has been very positive,’ says Jorge Armindo Teixeira, president of Amorim Turismo. He also highlighted the strong demand from corporate clients who are choosing the conference centre due to its location and its proximity to Lisbon along with the innovation, quality and flexibility that the facilities on offer.The hotel, already recognised for its striking architecture also has a notable artistic presence with some 250 works of art by 40 different artists spread around the property.

Back in Lisbon, one of the city’s most recently inaugurated design hotels is the Fontana Park, a property that has already gained international recognition as a Zen retreat in the city centre, having been awarded Best Interior Design for its rooms and bathrooms at the European Hotel Design Awards, thanks to the work of leading Portuguese designer Nini Andrade da Silva.

‘The hotel was conceived with individuality in mind. We wanted and now have a hotel with soul. And as one of our slogans says, it is ’the design hotel that the city was waiting for,’ says Jorge Cosme, director of Fontana Park Hotel.

Elsewhere in Portugal, there are some other truly impressive new projects worthy of mention.

In the historical centre of Gaia and under the ownership of the British Fladgate Partnership, the Yeatman Hotel embodies a €32 million-investment in oenotourism. The company owns 11 quintas in the Douro region, which produce award-winning Ports and the hotel will be developed with landings reminiscent of the banks of the Douro river. All the rooms offer private terraces with a garden and panoramic views of the river and Porto’s historic city centre. The hotel is on schedule to open in June 2010.

At the other end of the country, another new hotel has emerged in the Algarve region - the Martinhal Resort in Sagres, representing an investment of €82 million euros.

The project includes a 5-star hotel, apartments, individual villas and semi-detached houses, as well as restaurants, a spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, shops, a kids club and tennis courts.

During a recent presentation of the project in Lisbon, Chitra Stern, one of the founding directors of the owner company Four Winds Resorts, was proud to share the realisation of a dream that began in 2001. ‘The Martinhal Resort is more than an investment. It isn’t just another resort in the Algarve, but rather a new concept of luxury, integration, respect for nature, enjoyment of food and last but not least, it is about the genuine local people,’ says Chitra.

Two of Martinhal Resort’s investors, Roman and Chitra Stern discovered Sagres a few years ago and initially developed the residential phase of the project. They then invited British hoteliers Nigel Chapman and Nicholas Dickinson to join them on the resort project, and together developed a concept of a luxury resort for families.

Merging family, nature and sport tourism, the new Herdade da Cortesia Hotel in the town of Avis in the Alentejo, is another anti-stress oasis built on 47 hectares of land and a stone’s throw from the Maranhão dam.

The Avizaqcua group invested €5.5million in this avant garde hotel straight from the Spirituc Architecture studio, by Klaus Gruner, conceived with complete respect for the surrounding countryside.

Inaugurated on June 6 - although it has been open since January - the hotel is dedicated to complete customer satisfaction. ‘The hotel was conceived within the mindset of the guest. We all know what we like in a hotel and here we have made it possible. An example of this is that there is no set time for breakfast and you can even check out after midday on a Sunday if there are no reservations, so that you can relax and enjoy your stay until the end of the weekend,’ explains Pedro Veiga, one of the directors of the Avizaqcua group.

Relaxation seems to be the overriding theme for hotels today and the Palace Hotel & Thermal Spa in Penafiel and the Pousada in Paradamonte, Gerês - both EDP Imobiliária projects - are two good examples of this philosophy.

The Palace Hotel & Thermal Spa officially opened its doors on June 1 and is ‘connected’ to the São Vicente Thermal Springs in Pinheiro, known to be beneficial for breathing problems and other physical conditions. The hotel distributes its 135 rooms between a historical wing and a ‘charming hotel’ wing.

The pousada is located amidst the Peneda-Gerês National Park and is set to become another top class facility with outstanding scenery all around. The idea is to restore EDP’s old buildings in Lindoso and transform them into a luxury rural hotel, with a spa, electricity museum - in the old main building - and the chapel of Saint Isabel. Source: Essential Portugal

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