Riding the PortoBay wave: how people are shaping hospitality

With historic Portuguese vibes, meandering cobbled streets, and extraordinary glimpses of the glinting Atlantic ocean, Funchal delivers exactly the welcome I’d hoped for. But it’s nothing compared to the greeting when I step into the lobby at PortoBay Santa Maria.

Radiant smiles from staff, a distinctive living room ambience, and an instant family feel. It’s like they were expecting me.

I’m here to meet André Dória, Head of Digital Empowerment for PortoBay, following his invitation to visit when we met at IHTF Europe (I really don’t think he expected me to take it up :-). His enthusiasm for the island and the work he’s done with the hotel group is infectious, which I learn more about over a traditional meal and Poncha cocktails with him and his wife – at the best espetada (skewered meat) restaurant on the island, no less.

Throughout my stay, André also introduces me to some of his colleagues for my PortoBay Hoteliers' Voice podcast mini-series that captures what’s so special about Madeira and the hotel portfolio. How exactly are the people of PortoBay being empowered to deliver hospitality their way?

Their insights might just help to shape the hospitality sector as a whole…

Listen to the entire series and extended interviews by following Hoteliers’ Voice on LinkedIn, or through Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

A place to build careers

I desperately wanted to be on my island, and one of the biggest opportunities is tourism – hotels specifically, André explained. After working abroad, André wanted to come back home, and it made sense to look towards tourism for work, as it’s Madeira’s key economy. But what many people don’t always see are the extensive opportunities that come with working in hotels.

They really allow you to develop your career… It’s something you don’t see a lot in other sectors, André said. And it allows something I find even more magical – upskilling and cross-skilling. PortoBay allows you to keep learning, know more, do more. You never feel stagnant.

The Head of IT for PortoBay, Rui Alves, says that living on an island within a small ecosystem brings unique challenges that enable you to step up in your career. In his role, he has oversight of everything from controlling the entrance to the carpark to the application of AI. You need to know how to play several instruments, he said. This was a bit of a wake-up call for Rui compared to his experiences in other industries. But delivering solutions in a complex context is empowering too.

Many PortoBay staff have worked for the group for several years. Alex Esnarriaga, Resident Manager at Ilha Porto Mare, started out with PortoBay as a receptionist in São Paulo, Brazil. He worked his way up, which eventually led to the opportunity to move to Madeira, and he’s also been able to spend some time in the hotel’s properties in the Algarve. He says moving between different PortoBay hotels creates culture and connection, which is very important. Knowledge sharing and embarking on new experiences helps with staff retention too.

General Manager Nicholas D’Souza travelled the world working in hospitality for the Four Seasons, but also wanted to return to his home island of Madeira. He was in touch with PortoBay for two years until a suitable role came up. I wanted to join the right group, coming from such a prestigious brand like the Four Seasons. It was important for me to find my next step to return back home. And I couldn’t be happier.

Defining the value of tech

So how have PortoBay staff been able to make a difference through their work? With technology being such a growing area for hotels, this has been key.

André in particular has been able to shape the way data and business intelligence is used by PortoBay, solving issues with dispersed systems to enable data-driven decisions. People are first for PortoBay – be it the guests, be it the staff, he said. What we want is technology to make people free to interact with each other.

Rui agrees that the greatest value technology can bring hotels is to make it invisible. We’re not riding the top of the wave, but we’re using it to secure our operations and provide a better experience, he said.

Part of the future of IT in hotels that Rui is helping to define is to ensure all staff have a stake in it. The nature of IT depts and tech is changing. Now it pervades everything; everyone needs awareness. He believes the future is all about “cross-pollination” between different people and perspectives.

The loyalty long-game

On another side of the business, PortoBay’s staff spend their time engaging with repeat visitors. Madeira is a stand-out example of a destination with high levels of return travellers, and according to Nicholas, PortoBay has around 60% return guests, who stay for an average of nine nights.

This is the dream for many hotels around the world. Loyalty is the DNA of our business, said Marketing Coordinator, Fiona Fontes. Loyalty is our greatest asset.

PortoBay has had a successful loyalty programme for 20 years, and Fiona was tasked with relaunching it, which she describes as an opportunity for me to grow within the company. Requiring a technological leap, this revamp enabled the creation of detailed guest profiles, de-duplication of profiles, and even sparked the creation of a data quality department at PortoBay.

In two years, the world changed for us, Fiona says. The company really believed in digital transformation and doing it in the right way, from the ground up. The revamped programme also includes initiatives such as enabling existing loyalty members to hand down some of their perks to their children and grandchildren. This keeps the connection to PortoBay in families for generations.

Alex agrees that the concept of ‘family’ is key for PortoBay guests. They say to me: ‘when I come to this hotel, I find this sense of home away from home. But it’s a home away from home where I feel taken care of by people I know.’

The evolving hotel experience

PortoBay employees are clearly making a difference – to guests, to the business, and to their own careers. But what’s next in the future of hospitality?

According to Alex, hospitality is changing, as guests want less formal experiences and more of a family feeling, where they are noticed and acknowledged. People want a warm experience, they want to know people, they want a purpose for their holidays, he says. They want to have a holiday, but also do something that has a meaning for them.

Continually evolving and being open to new ideas is also crucial. Nicholas explained how the hotel appointed the double Michelin star chef, Benoît Sinthon, at PortoBay Santa Maria. He’s the only chef in Madeira with a Green Star too, and he said we should plant a herb garden on our rooftop. As well as elevating the F&B experience at the hotel – especially important for city centre hotels with plenty of competition on the doorstep – the rooftop herb garden is opened to guests once a week, providing an ‘insider experience’ of the property.

And as sustainability becomes more important to guests and hoteliers alike, PortoBay Santa Maria has made notable progress. With an impressive 270 solar panels on the rooftops, largely unseen from ground level, around 50% of the energy consumed in the hotel is taken care of sustainably.

A people-powered future for hospitality

Madeira is a one-of-a-kind location for hospitality, with a tourism-led economy that plenty of locals want to stay or return to, and where guests want to visit time and again. There’s a lot that hoteliers from around the world can learn from forward-thinking brands like PortoBay who embrace the people who make a locality authentic and full of life.

Building a great guest experience starts from the ground up, and it starts with the staff. Empower them. Give them opportunities to grow. Allow them to carve out fulfilling careers. In turn, they’ll grow your hotel business and elevate the guest experience in the process. Supported by invisible technology, knowledge exchange, and making the most of your hotel’s assets – in terms of both people and place – and the conditions are ripe for hotel success.

Discover the full mini-series of insights from the people of PortoBay on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Learn more from your peers and become part of the hospitality community by following the Hoteliers’ Voice podcast today, and join us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Ryan Haynes

HOST | Director | Lead Consultant [email protected]