Pousadas de Portugal () is a chain of luxury, traditional or historical hotels in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. Formerly run by the Portuguese State, they are now run by the

Pestana Group 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. Organization The firm's main activity is tourism, hav ...

, which in September 2003 won a public bid for the sale of 37.6% of parent company Enatur and for a 40-year running concession. It is a member of the

Historic Hotels of Europe The Historic Hotels of Europe (HHE) is an umbrella organisation established to promote like-minded independent hotel associations throughout Europe. Castles, manors, convents, palaces, monasteries, townhouses, villas and residences which have main ...

. The Pousadas were envisioned and created in the early 1940s by

António Ferro António Joaquim Tavares Ferro (17 August 1895, Lisbon - 11 November 1956, Lisbon) was a Portuguese writer, journalist and politician, associated with the Estado Novo. Biography In 1915, when he was barely 19, his friend, Mário de Sá Carneir ...

, head of the National Propaganda Secretariat and also a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, who had the idea of creating hotels that were both rustic and genuinely Portuguese. His first Pousada was built in

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortress ...

, in the

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

, which would be the first of what Ferro called "small hotels that look nothing like hotels". This Pousada is no longer active. There are now 44 Pousadas installed in historic buildings. The

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

word ''pousada'' means "

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

" or "

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

". In Portugal, the use of the word is registered as a

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...

and reserved for the use of the Pousadas de Portugal and also of the Pousadas de Juventude (Portuguese state-run youth hostel chain associated to the

Hostelling International Hostelling International (HI), formerly known as International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF), is a grouping of more than seventy National Youth Hostel Associations in over eighty countries, with over 4,000 affiliated hostels around the world ...

). A similar small charming, nature or historical hotel in Portugal that is not part of the Pousadas de Portugal chain is classified as ''estalagem'', a word which also means "hostel" or "inn".

History

Origins

Created by the Law 31.259 of 1 May 1941, by António Ferro's initiative. The first hotel was inaugurated in 1942, in Elvas,

, a region that has several historical pousadas. Other Regional Pousadas were inaugurated, always with a small number of rooms and a special attention to the local

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

. In the 1950s, a new designation was added, Historical Pousadas, these hotels were installed in historical monuments and buildings,

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s and

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

. The first Pousada created under this new designation was

Pousada do Castelo Pousadas de Portugal () is a chain of luxury, traditional or historical hotels in Portugal. Formerly run by the Portuguese State, they are now run by the Pestana Group, which in September 2003 won a public bid for the sale of 37.6% of parent comp ...

in Óbidos. In 1995, the

American Society of Travel Agents American Society of Travel Advisors (abbreviated as ASTA) is a trade association which was formed to represent and defend the business and regulatory public policy interests of travel intermediaries, including travel agencies (including tradition ...

and the Smithsonian Foundation, awarded the Pousadas de Portugal the annual prize for the institutions around the world with an active part in the protection of cultural and environmental heritage for touristic purposes.

Privatization

In 2003, due to the accumulation of negative results for more than a decade, the Portuguese Government led by

Durão Barroso Durão is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Joaquim Durão (1930–2015), Portuguese chess player * Nuno Durão (born 1962), Portuguese rugby union footballer and coach *Santa Rita Durão José de Santa Rita Durão (1722–178 ...

decided to privatize 49% of Enatur's capital, as well as to concede the management of the Pousadas to the winning group. The winner was the PPG – Pestana Pousadas Group, formed by

(59.8%), CGD Group (25%), Oriente Foundation (15%) and two more companies with 0.2% (

Viagens Abreu Agência Abreu is a travel agency and the largest travel organization in Portugal. The current headquarters are in Porto, with the main office in Linda–a–Velha, a suburb of Lisbon, in a spacious office building. Abreu has offices throughou ...

and Portimar). On 1 September 2003, PPG became responsible for the management of the Pousadas hotel chain for a period of 20 years.

The future

In Portugal, PPG intends to continue the expansion of the hotel chain. Two new Pousadas are planned for 2012, the Pousada de Cascais (on the coast near Lisbon) and the Pousada da Serra da Estrela (in the mountainous central part of the country). The Pousada de Cascais is to be situated in the old citadelle in Cascais to a design by the

Gonçalo Byrne Gonçalo Byrne, GCIH (b. Alcobaça 1941) is a Portuguese architect. Byrne is responsible for a vast accomplishment of architectural work, and has been awarded with many national and international prizes. In 2005 he was awarded the title of Do ...

architects group (also responsible for the Pousadas in Viseu and Faro) and David Sinclair. The Pousada da Serra da Estrela is to be adapted out of the sanatorium for the railway employees by Cottinelli Telmo.

Eduardo Souto de Moura Eduardo Elísio Machado Souto de Moura (; born 25 July 1952), better known as Eduardo Souto de Moura, is a Portuguese architect who was the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2011 and the Wolf Prize in Arts in 2013. Along with Ferna ...

, winner of the

Pritzker Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produ ...

in 2011 is the architect. He was also responsible for the conversion of the Convent of Santa Maria do Bouro into the Pousada de Amares.

Worldwide

In 2005, the first Pousada de Portugal outside of Portugal opened in Brazil, in a historic building and fort built by the Portuguese. Although this is by far the biggest hotel in the chain, in Brazil the term ''pousada'' usually refers to a cheaper hotel, more like a bed and breakfast, which may lead to confusion. Under an internationalization plan, the PPG wants to open Pousadas in all the locations that the Portuguese once ruled: Asia (

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

and even

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

), Africa (

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and even

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

) and new places in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Pousadas hotel chain segmentation

The Pousadas are divided in four main groups, according to their

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

specificity, its

surroundings Surroundings are the area around a given physical or geographical point or place. The exact definition depends on the field. Surroundings can also be used in geography (when it is more precisely known as vicinity, or vicinage) and mathematics, a ...

or even its

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...

: *''Pousadas Históricas'' (Historic Pousadas), located in well preserved yet unspoiled national monuments, such as convents, monasteries, castles or fortresses; *''Pousadas Históricas Design'' (Historic Design Pousadas), also in monuments, castles, convents, fortresses and palaces that were vastly renovated, sporting artistic and contemporary decoration and facilities; *''Pousadas Natureza'' (Nature Pousadas), in natural countryside locations; *''Pousadas Charme'' (Charm Pousadas), located in areas of romantic, unique atmosphere.

Historic Pousadas

In historical buildings * Alvito - Pousada de Alvito Historic Hotel * Beja - Pousada de Beja Historic Hotel * Belmonte - Pousada do Convento de Belmonte *

Estremoz Estremoz () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 14,318, in an area of 513.80 km². The city Estremoz itself had a population of 7,682 in 2001. It is located in the Alentejo region. History The region around Estremoz ...

- Pousada de Estremoz Historic Hotel *

Évora Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District. Due to its well-preserved old to ...

- Pousada de Évora Historic Hotel *

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and a ...

- Pousada de Guimarães - Sta. Marinha Historic Hotel *

Mesão Frio Mesão Frio () is a municipality in the district of Vila Real in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,433, in an area of 26.65 km². History The occupation of the territory of Mesão Frio dates back to the Romans, who occupied a castro in ...

- Pousada do Solar da Rede * Óbidos - Pousada de Óbidos Historic Hotel *

Ourém Ourém (), formerly known as Vila Nova de Ourém, is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 45,932, in an area of 416.68 km2. The municipality of Ourém contains two cities: Ourém (about 12,000 r ...

- Pousada de Ourém - Fátima Historic Hotel *

Palmela Palmela () is a town and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 62,831, in an area of 465.12 km². The municipality is located in the Lisboa Region and Setúbal District, about south of Lisbon. The municipal holiday is 1 Ju ...

- Pousada de Palmela Historic Hotel *

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

(Freixo) - Pousada do Porto Palace Hotel * Queluz /

Lisboa Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

- Pousada de Queluz Palace Hotel *

Setúbal Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the ti ...

- Pousada de Setubal Historic Hotel *

Tavira Tavira () is a Portuguese town and municipality, capital of the ''Costa do Acantilado'', situated in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is east of Faro and west of Huelva across the river Guadiana into Spain. The Gilão ...

- Pousada de Tavira Historic Hotel *

Vila Pouca da Beira Vila Pouca da Beira is a village and former civil parish in the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Santa Ovaia e Vila Pouca da Beira. It has a surface area of 5.12 km2 and 383 inhabita ...

- Pousada Convento do Desagravo Historic Hotel *

Vila Viçosa Vila Viçosa () is a town and a municipality in the District of Évora, Alentejo in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,319, in an area of 194.86 km². The municipal holiday is August 16. Parishes Administratively, the municipality is d ...

- Pousada de Vila Viçosa Historic Hotel

Historic Design Pousadas

In historical buildings with modern architectural elements *

Alcácer do Sal Alcácer do Sal () is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. The population in 2011 was 13,046, in an area of 1499.87 km2. History Earliest settlement There has been human settlement in the area for more than 40,000 ye ...

- Pousada de Alcácer do Sal Historic Hotel *

Amares Amares () is a municipality in Braga District, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 18,889, in an area of 81.95 km². The present Mayor is Manuel Moreira, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The municipal holiday is June 13. Demographic ...

/ Gerês - Pousada de Amares Historic Hotel *

Angra do Heroísmo Angra do Heroísmo (), or simply Angra, is a city and municipality on Terceira Island, Portugal, and one of the three capital cities of the Azores. Founded in 1478, Angra was historically the most important city in the Azores, as seat of the Roma ...

Açores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

- Pousada de Angra do Heroísmo Historic Hotel *

Arraiolos Arraiolos () is a municipality in Évora District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,363, in an area of 683.75 km2. The town of Arraiolos has 3,351 inhabitants. The present Mayor is Silvia Pinto, elected by the Unitary Democratic Coalit ...

- Pousada de Arraiolos Historic Hotel *

Covilhã Covilhã () is a city and a municipality in the Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 34,772 inhabitants in 2001. The municipality population in 2011 was 51,797, in an area of . It is located in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela subregion and B ...

- Pousada da Serra da Estrela * Crato - Pousada do Crato Historic Hotel *Faro (Estoi) - Pousada de Faro Palace Hotel

Nature Pousadas

In calm and relaxing places, with characteristics for

eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

* Caniçada/ Gerês - Pousada do Gerês - Caniçada Charming Hotel *

Manteigas Manteigas () is a town and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,430, in an area of . The municipality is located in Guarda District; in Centro Region and Beira Interior Norte Subregion. It is located in the Serra da Estrela Mou ...

- Pousada de Manteigas Charming Hotel * Marão - Pousada de São Gonçalo *

Ria de Aveiro The Aveiro lagoon (''Ria de Aveiro'') is a lagoon in Portugal. It is located on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, south of the municipality of Espinho and north of Mira (to the north of the Cape Mondego). Its average area covers approximately . It ...

- Pousada da Ria de Aveiro Charming Hotel * Sagres - Pousada de Sagres Charming Hotel

Charm Pousadas

In typical buildings or places A Pousada de Viana- vistas

Alijó Alijó () is a municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal, located in the district of Vila Real. The population in 2021 was 10,486, in an area of 297.60 km2. History There are several megalithic structures, dolmens and castros in Alijó ...

- Pousada de Alijó Charming Hotel *

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

- Pousada de Braga Charming Hotel * Bragança - Pousada de Bragança Charming Hotel *

Condeixa-a-Nova Condeixa-a-Nova (), also known as just Condeixa, is a town and a municipality in the district of Coimbra, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,078, in an area of 138.67 km². It is located 15 km south of Coimbra, and is part of the R ...

- Pousada de Condeixa-a-Nova Charming Hotel *

- Pousada de Elvas Charming Hotel (''first Pousada of the network'') *

- Pousada de Guimarães - N. Sra. Oliveira Charming Hotel * Horta/

- Pousada da Horta Historic Hotel *

Marvão Marvão () is a municipality in Portalegre District in Portugal. The population in 2020 was 2,972 (and dropping at a rate of around one inhabitant per week), in an area of 154.90 km2. The present Mayor is Luís Vitorino, elected by the Socia ...

- Pousada de Marvão Charming Hotel * Valença do Minho - Pousada de Valença Charming Hotel *

Viana do Castelo Viana do Castelo () is a municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 88,725, in an area of 319.02 km². The urbanized area of the municipality, comprising the city, ...

- Pousada de Viana do Castelo Charming Hotel *

Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the district of the same name, with a population of 100,000 inhabitants, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões intermunipical community, with 267,633 inhabita ...

- Pousada de Viseu Charming Spa Hotel

References

Bibliography

*Pousadas Directory, Ed.Enatur, Lisboa, 2003

External links

*
Pousadas de Portugal - Youtube Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pousadas De Portugal Pousadas of Portugal