At a meeting with journalists in Lisbon, the group's
president, Jorge Rebelo de Almeida, recalled that even in the pandemic, the
company has not stopped its growth strategy and that 2023 will be no exception.
"We will maintain an expansion plan focused on valuing
heritage, continuing to invest in the recovery and rehabilitation of historic
buildings and themed hotels. And we will continue with the strategy of
developing the interior of the country, investing in regions with lower tourist
flows, but where we have many opportunities and a huge diversity of cultural,
gastronomic proposals and differentiating experiences”, he said.
The group plans to open, in early April, the Vila Galé Monte
do Vilar, an agro-tourism in Beja (Alentejo), located in the Vila Galé Country
Club, representing an investment of more than four million euros.
Vila Galé Nep Kids (Beja, Alentejo) will also be created,
also at Clube de Campo, in which the group is investing a further ten million
euros to open on May 30, 2023. This hotel will be completely dedicated to
children: "Adults can only enter here when accompanied by children",
explained Jorge Rebelo de Almeida.
Also at Clube de Campo Vila Galé, the existing Rural Hotel
will be converted into a Hotel dedicated to Wine Tourism and Olive Growing named
– Vila Galé Alentejo Vineyards and Olive – Resort de Campo.
In the Azores, the Vila Galé Collection São Miguel will open
on May 11, in the centre of Ponta Delgada, resulting from the refurbishment of
the building where the convent and hospital of São Francisco formerly operated,
which resulted in an investment of more than 12 million euros.
The Vila Galé Collection Tomar, in the centre, is due to
open its doors on July 1st, being yet another historic heritage rehabilitation
project, in which the group is investing more than ten million euros to recover
and transform several areas of the old Convent of Santa Iria and the Women's
College acquired from the Municipality of Tomar.
Jorge Rebelo de Almeida said that they are developing Vila
Galé Paço do Curutêlo, in the municipality of Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo,
where work is already underway to uproot eucalyptus trees, and preparation of
land for planting 30 hectares of vines.
This future unit, which will have a strong wine tourism
component, "has been awaiting approval for a year and a half", he
lamented.
In Brazil, the hotel group foresees three new projects, with
the launch of the first Vila Galé Collection in Cumbuco, facing the sea and
Lagoa do Cauipe.
The Vila Galé Group achieved a turnover of 218 million euros
in 2022, an increase of 20% compared to 2019, said the company's director,
Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida.
Currently, the Vila Galé Group has a total of 37 hotels,
divided into 27 units in Portugal and 10 in Brazil.