Vale do Lobo, where it plans to build a hotel unit, Highgate Portugal is considering the various options of hotel brands to associate with the future project, according to a report by Publituris . On Wednesday, September 18, Highgate Portugal officially inaugurated the Governor's Palace, the latest development in its portfolio to undergo a 1.3 million euro refurbishment.
The hotel, which dropped its NAU name after renovations, was officially unveiled with an interior design by Nini Andrade Silva, who, nine years after decorating this hotel, has given “a second life to the hotel”, as Pedro Catapirra, general manager of Palácio do Governador, put it. After explaining the value of these renovations, Alexandre Solleiro, CEO of Highgate Portugal, explained that the company will now invest almost 50 million euros in the repositioning and rebranding of the four hotels it owns in the Algarve, namely the São Rafael Atlântico and the three hotels and golf course in Salgados – the NAU Salgados Palace, NAU Salgados Palm Village and NAU Salgados Dunas Suites. In the case of the São Rafael Atlântico, the luxury lifestyle hotel will be carrying the Kimpton brand from next year, with the interior design being carried out by Nini Andrade Silva.
In Salgados, the goal is to take these three hotels “out of the all-inclusive market and into the luxury market, with a complete renovation and rebranding”, according to Alexandre Solleiro. In an interview with this media outlet, the CEO of Highgate Portugal stated that the interior design of these hotels will be carried out by Broadway Malyan, by Margarida Caldeira, and that there will also be a branded residences component, alongside the hotel component. The expectation is that the work will begin “in early November”.
For now, the hotel brands that will be associated with the Salgados hotels have not yet been announced, with the CEO of Highgate Portugal indicating that this announcement will be made “next week”. “We are committed to contributing not only to the growth of the quality of our portfolio, but also to bringing more quality tourism to Portugal”, said Alexandre Solleiro at the inauguration of the Governor's Palace. Teresa Monteiro, vice-president of Turismo de Portugal, was also present at the inauguration of the renovated Palácio do Governador.
Pointing to the numbers of guests, overnight stays and revenues over the last seven months – with increases of around 5%, 4% and 11%, respectively, Teresa Monteiro states that “Portugal is clearly on a growth trajectory in terms of tourism”, highlighting the need to “qualify our destination, positioning it on a level of quality, and not on the quantity of tourists we are able to attract”. “This hotel is clearly a good example of this need to position ourselves on a level of quality”, states the vice-president of Turismo de Portugal . Highgate Portugal's plans for Vale do Lobo Regarding the future hotel to be part of Highgate Portugal's portfolio in Vale do Lobo, Alexandre Solleiro said that although there is a project to build a hotel unit on the site, which has already been submitted to Loulé City Council , “we are still finalising discussions on whether or not we will put a brand on it”.
As he explains, “we are finalising the choice of branding option and then deciding when we will start construction of the hotel”, which is expected to have around 120 rooms, along with a range of around 30 to 40 branded residences. Highgate Portugal expects construction to begin “next year”..
