•Pestana Group subsidiary Grupo Pestana Pousadas (GPP),  which manages Pousadas de Portugal (national hospitality flagship) reported operating income of €2 million in 2004 compared to a €1.1 million loss for 2003, but still below the €3 million profit target for the year, says GPP chairman, José de Mello Breyner Roquette. In exchange for national and cross-border expansion Pestana Group has asked government to extend its Pousadas operating concession. GPP will unveil three new pousada investments in 2005 at Viseu, Ílhavo, and Oporto. The first stage of GPP’s cross-border pousada expansion was launched when the group acquired the Carmo Convent in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. This has been added to its flagship pousada chain in a programme which envisages converting Portuguese heritage and historic buildings in Morocco, Cape Verde Angola and Sao Tome - particularly the residences on former coffee plantations - and other places discovered by 15th century Portuguese explorers. The group proposes to add 200 rooms to the network outside Portugal. In 2003 Pestana Group acquired a 37.6% stake in Enatur and a concession to run the flagship network for 20 years. It also undertook to add a further 200-300 rooms to the chain. The Group has some very clear ideas about its brand. "We will focus on historical areas for new units which will never have fewer than 30 rooms”, says José Roquette. Successful units such as the Óbidos, Palmela, Sagres, Quinta da Ortiga, Caniçada and Manteigas Pousadas have undergone or are undergoing extensive refurbishment and brand repositioning at a cost of €3-€5 million per unit. The network reported a €1 million loss in 2003. Occupation rates are to rise from 47% to around 55% through Pestana Group cross selling. Viability is tied to the international market. “Today we sell 20,000 bed nights to Spanish visitors and we intend to double this rapidly,” says José Roquette, adding: "We have acquired the most important symbol of domestic tourism ... and we aim to develop the personality of  each”. This will take account of  history, regions, locations, culture and surroundings. Pricing will be segmented accordingly.

Pestana Group is to build a 5-star €45 million hotel at Chelsea Bridge/Battersea Park in central London offering the capital an hotel with a Portuguese flavour “from decoration and style to cuisine”. Dionísio Pestana Chairman of Pestana, Portugal's largest hotel group, says the hotel will offer 198 rooms and 20 penthouses with a daily tariff between €170 and €200. He said the hotel would reflect the warmth of Portuguese hospitality. Dionísio Pestana said British hotels had plenty of good hardware in terms of palaces and hotels of great tradition but in the business of providing top flight service “we can teach them a lot”, he said.

A diversity of experiences identifies Portugal as a land of depth and discovery. See some  of this vast variety here:

Porto e Norte de Portugal
Beiras
Lisboa e Vale do Tejo
Alentejo
Algarve
Madeira
Azores

Pousadas de Portugal, is a network of more than 40 establishments comprising the country's hospitality flagship. Pousadas offer heritage, history, luxury and a unique leisure experience, cultivated from the wealth and best traditions of terroir.

Portugal - Europe's last best-kept secret

Europe's last best-kept secret - can be found in the culture and tradition of the Pousadas. Each Pousada is synonymous with the history and customs of its particular region. Pousadas include: meticulously restored and converted castles, palaces, monasteries and convents, country houses and mansions and traditional hotels in superb locations and settings.
In 2003 Pestana Hotels and Resorts acquired a sizeable interest in Pousadas de Portugal and is now responsible for managing the network. 
Call Keytel International: in the UK - 020 7616 0300 enquiries@keytel.co.uk


Pousadas de Portugal Av Santa Joana Princesa nº 10 1749-090 LISBON

....."Staying in one of Portugal's state run country inns is one of the best ways to enjoy the beauty and quiet of the Alentejo (...) Estremoz, if you really want to know how a Portuguese King and Queen lived, come to this Pousada, housed in a castle dating 1258. From the castle's marble tower, Torre de Menagem, feast your eyes on the green of the surrounding olive trees..."

- National Geographic Traveler USA


......."The dozens of state-run Pousadas, strategically situated in or near major tourist destinations throughout the country, almost invariably offer the most comfortable accommodations and, often, the finest food in the area."

- The New York Times
USA

Up-and-coming

The Alentejo in the south-east - offers panoramas of wheat-growing plains, plantations of cork oaks, and some of the best-preserved medieval towns and villages in Europe. Many of Portugal's finest historic pousadas are found here. The best is the Pousada de Rainha Santa Isabel, at Estremoz in the Upper Alentejo - a castle palace originally built in the 14th century as a gift by Dom Dinis for his wife Isabel of Aragon (later canonised). It is adorned with Baroque statues and antiques and commands superb views. Over in the west, Pousada de Dom Afonso II is set in the former castle of Alcacer do Sal, one of Portugal's oldest ports. Dom Afonso II (also known as "the fat") was a 13th-century king, but the castle is far older, and a variety of Roman, Viking and Moorish remains have been found here. In the 16th century it became a convent for Carmelite nuns.

- Financial Times
UK


Phone: +351 218 442 001 
Fax: +351 218 442 085
guest@pousadas.pt