Portugal will have 30 new hotels

  • ECO News
  • 20 November 2016

This will be the greatest year the hotel business has had and the following year will be even better, is what the president of the AHP (Portuguese Hotels Association) told ECO.

This year will be “the greatest” for the hotel business and the following will be even better. In 2017, hoteliers expect not only better results than in 2016, but also to open 30 new hotels, according to data brought forward to ECO by the Portuguese Hotels Association (AHP).

“A good year”. That is how Raul Martins, AHP’s president, describes the 2016 tourism year. Actually, it was better than good, it was “the best ever recorded” since, for the first time, all indicators were surpassed compared to 2007 – the year that, until now, was awarded the best for the hospitality business.

The occupancy for the available supply of hotel services reached a national average of around 69% from January to August and the average price increased to 81.4 euros; these numbers left Raul Martins “pleased”.
It is not a surprise, for that reason, that the upcoming year means new investments are going to take place.

40 hotels opened in 2015 and 26 opened this year, and 30 other hotels will open on the upcoming year, according to the data collected by the AHP’s Studies and Statistic Office. Besides those investments, eight hotels already opened will be renewed, following the renewals already made this year.

Oporto and the North are the most significant, since they are having 11 new hotels (6 in the city of Oporto alone) and 4 renewals. The Lisbon region is the one that follows: 10 hotels are opening (9 in the city of Lisbon) and there will be 3 renewals. The Center and the Algarve will have 3 new hotels, Alentejo will have 2 and the Madeira Island will have 1.

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Hotel openings and renewals in 2017. Source: AHP’s Studies and Statistic Office

In 2017, the main concern will be to increase prices. “We will tell our associates the price must be improved, because we have the means for it, with what we have to offer compared to other destinations”, states Raul Martins.

Records will once again be beaten: “Our expectation is that 2017 will be better than this year. We are very focused on the average occupancy for the available supply of hotel services in Portugal, because, at the country’s main regions, the average occupancy was of around 75%”, is what the president of the AHP anticipates.