No one is the same, but the 57 rooms of the new Pousada de Portugal in Vila Real de Santo António, which was officially inaugurated on Thursday, July 1st, have something in common: «the soul».
After all, this is a different hotel, divided into several buildings and harmoniously integrated into them, as it was possible to notice during the opening of this new Pousada, the fourth that the Pestana Group has opened in the Algarve.
This is a project that stands out for its originality and that is, since its genesis, unlike anything this hotel group has ever done.
Instead of recovering a single historic building, five buildings were repaired, divided into three lots. Both the main building, where the reception is located, the restaurant and most of the rooms, as well as the supporting property, also with rooms, overlook the iconic Praça Marquês de Pombal, the ex libris from the historic center of that city.
In the main building, which brings together three buildings – the building adjacent to Caixa Geral de Depósitos, the manor building that served as the headquarters of the PCP and a third building on the same street as the latter – 39 rooms were built, divided over three floors.
On the opposite side of the square, in a building that used to house the services of the municipal company SGU, another 18 rooms will be installed.
The fact that the Pestana Group had to work with historic buildings was a challenge, but it also turns out to be the great asset of this unit.
“The rooms here are quite different. Because they are different buildings, from different architects, from different architectural periods. The tiles change from house to house», he described to the Sul Informação Luís Castanheira Lopes, president of Pousadas de Portugal.
“For this reason, what we did was, above all, respect the pre-existing heritage. We didn't tear anything down, we didn't change windows, we kept everything exactly as it was, because buildings and rooms have their soul», he explained.
"When we enter there, each room has autonomy in relation to the one next door, it is not the same as all the others," he added.
To reach this point, it was necessary to go through a process with «its complexity», since «to create a single establishment, we used five buildings».
“It was necessary to articulate all the circumstances of each of the buildings, not least because they have different dimensions, different areas, different construction techniques. First, there was this technical care, which is always time-consuming. And then the execution of the work, which is also time-consuming», he framed.
Still, he stressed, the work was completed on schedule. “We've had it ready for almost a year. But, with the pandemic, it was not justified to open it before».
This meant putting on hold an investment that cost 'about 3 million euros'.
Arrived in July 2021, the Pousada de VRSA has its doors open and has created 30 direct jobs.
«But we know that inns always have a stimulating role in activities around them. And, surely, we will create jobs in other entities. Because people who sleep here, have lunch elsewhere, drink coffee elsewhere, do not make their entire living here at the inn», said Luís Castanheira Lopes.
Grupo Pestana's bet on opening the Vilarrealense Pousada at a time when the pandemic not only persists, but is getting worse, hasn't turned out to be wrong – at least, until you see it.
“Things are going very well. At the time we are living, it is running above expectations. We have 16 rooms occupied, a very nice number for an opening, and we hope it will be a success», he revealed to Sul Informação Paulo Silva, Algarve Regional Director of Pousadas de Portugal.
“We don't really know what will happen, it's a market that we haven't mastered yet, because until now we were in Sagres, Estoi and Tavira. We are very curious about the future, but we think it has all the potential to be a reference unit, different from what the Pousadas brand has accustomed us to”, he added.
For now the perspective is good.
“If you keep the current scenario, it's very nice. We didn't have many cancellations at Pousadas here in the Algarve. As they are small units, we also work a lot in the national market, we didn't have a high rate of cancellation», he said.
As far as the VRSA unit is concerned, «we are already with an average of 40% of demand in August. We know that the guest house is very last minute. At a distance of a month, this number is very encouraging».
And, taking into account that Spain is within sight, on the other side of the Guadiana, Paulo Silva makes no secret of being “very attentive to the Spanish market. It can even be our livelihood for more complicated winter seasons».
Maybe that's why the restaurant at this Pousada de Portugal bets a lot on tapas, but not only.
“We have some offer facing the Spanish market, which is very strong here, especially at the weekend. We have bruschettas, tapas and we made some innovations with pizzas, with national products. We have a fantastic oven», described Paulo Silva.
“I can tell you that, for example, we replace anchovies with pickled sardines, which are great. The cheese that is put on the pizzas is our goat cheese from the Algarve and the pepperoni was replaced by paiola and Algarve sausages. And it works fantastically well», he concluded.
On the part of the Chamber, to see a hotel like this being born «is very important».
“We must not forget that VRSA, in geographic terms, is located a bit on the periphery. Seeing a Pestana Pousada here in the municipality is, in fact, a great pride”, stresses Luís Romão, Mayor.
The mayor does not hide that the opening of the unit "is, in fact, a dream, with all that it entails", namely "the recovery of buildings that were vacant or unoccupied", which will now have "a new life" and will give, «consequently, more life to a central space of VRSA that already has a good dynamic».
Basically, the opening of this Pousada de Portugal «represents a seal of quality and seriousness for the city and shows that the municipality is a desirable place for investment and tourism», he concluded.
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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