One of Vila Real de Santo António’s most emblematic buildings is at last to have a new lease of life as the river front Grande Hotel Guadiana is to be redeveloped and leased to a South African leisure company.
The contract for the hotel’s rebirth was won in an open competition by a group of Portuguese businessmen who already have a contract with the Grand Africa company.
In an interview with Sul Informaçao, the Vila Real de Santo António mayor, Luís Gomes, commented that these businessmen are "connected to the world of hospitality, working with major groups and have the know-how. The idea is to bring a South African chain, Grand Africa, with whom these investors already have a contract, to turn the unit into a charming hotel."
The council bought the hotel for €500,000 and the new management will pay this off over the contract period of 20 years.
The council also has hinted that money may be available under the terms of the Jessica Fund which already has provided grants to develop other parts of Vila Real de Santo António.
The mayor said the hotel investment will be "critical in bringing tourism into the historic centre of Vila Real de Santo António," and that the contract will be signed in the next few weeks.
The hotel will be renamed ‘Grand Cafe and Suites Algarve’ by Grand Africa which operates three similar hotel concepts in South Africa and one in Zimbabwe.
The Guadiana Hotel is on the Guadiana riverfront and was built between 1918 and 1921 from a design by the Swiss born architect Ernesto Korrodi (1870-1944).
