| Pestana Hotel Group | |
| Type: | Hotel Group |
| Founded: | 1972 |
| Founders: | Jose Pestana and Manuel Pestana |
| Location City: | Funchal |
| Location Country: | Portugal |
| Industry: | Hospitality |
| Products: | Hotels |
| Revenue: | $1.4billion |
| Net Income: | $169million |
| Num Employees: | 6,000 |
Pestana Group is a Portuguese tourism and leisure group. Its hotel chain Pestana Hotels and Resorts has 100 hotels with over 12,000 rooms. The group manages Pousadas de Portugal since 2003.[1] [2] [3] [4]
The Pestana Group was founded by José Pestana and his brother Manuel Pestana, when they acquired the Atlântico Hotel in 1965. A new five-star hotel was built in its place, the work was completed in 1972. Later Jose Pestana sold his part of the business and when Manuel Pestana retired he left control of the company to his son, Dionísio Pestana.[5]
In 2003, the Pestana Group took over the management of Pousadas de Portugal.[6]
In 2015, Pestana Group partnered with Cristiano Ronaldo to open a hotel chain under the CR7 brand. The first hotel was opened in 2016 in Funchal, above Museu CR7, later that year another hotel was opened in Lisbon.[7] [8] In 2020, Pestana Group opened its second hotel in the United States in Manhattan.[9]
The firm's main activity is tourism, having also interests in industry and services.[10] It manages hotel units in three different continents: Europe, South America, and Africa. The countries it serves on those continents are [in alphabetical order]: Argentina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Africa. Besides the 91 hotels, the Pestana Group has six timesharing properties, three golf courses, two real estate/touristic properties, a gambling concession for a Casino, a participation in a charter airline, a travel agency and three Tour Operators.
The Pestana Group owns Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira, a company in Madeira island that produces and distributes Coral, Brisa and Laranjada, some of the top-selling local alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The Pestana Group also owns the Portuguese airline euroAtlantic Airways, and a stake in STP Airways, which is the national airline of São Tomé and Príncipe.