By Andrea Hargraves 
Miguel Proenca, Group President, said today that Hoti Hotéis will invest 140 million euros by 2027 in several hotel units of the brands it manages, adding another 816 rooms to its portfolio.
“between the [projetos] Which is more clear, we are talking about 816 rooms, in total in this group of projects that will be developed from now on until 2026, 2027, about 140 million euros, ”said the CEO today at a meeting with journalists.
According to the director of the Ricardo Rodrigues Group, the first project going forward, “in principle, in the first quarter of next year, will be in Braga, ‘a hotel with 109 rooms right in the center'”.
“It is a themed hotel in the historic center, and therefore, it will be the first post-Covid project launched by the group,” he told reporters.
The same person in charge said there were still two projects in the pipeline “pending authorization” in the Viana do Castelo and Famalicao room, which would “be full, more or less, with 120 rooms”.
“But these operations will not progress effectively until the license is approved by the local authorities,” he said, adding that they had another project, also public, that the group won under the Revive program in São Joao da Madeira.
“We are also launching the development of the Star Inn from scratch in Aveiro. We have purchased the land, and it is still in the embryo licensing process, but it is one of the projects that the group has to develop.”
Ricardo Rodriguez also said the group maintains a “perspective of interest in all opportunities”, specifically in Spain, a market where they continue to look for a way to expand.
“We have an agreement with Wyndham to develop the Tryp brand in Portugal, and we are the ‘master franchisee’ of the Tryp brand for Portugal and Spain, so we can develop the brand. We will now maintain five Tryp brand hotels here in Portugal and the logic is to increase that number. Although the brand is not our brand, we have this tool that allows us to capitalize on our growth,” the official reinforced.
“It could open the door to Spain for us, yes,” he admitted, adding that they were “vigilant” from the neighboring market.
Hoti Hotéis also plans to go ahead with Meliá on Avenida Boavista, in Porto, with 220 rooms, five-star, not yet under licensing, the group has only the land.
“As we have other lands that are still without a license and other cases with licensed projects, but we have not been able to develop them, as in the case of a land in Largo do Rato, in Lisbon, where licenses are being paid, but whose project has been waiting for five years for a decision by the Administrative Court In Lisbon We have another one on standby at Villa Real de Santo Antonio, etc. He added that there are many such situations.
The Hoti Hotéis Group currently owns 18 hotels, namely Meliá, Star Inn, Tryp and Moxy (Marriot), 17 in Portugal and one, Meliá Maputo, in Mozambique.