São Paulo – The company Samba Hotel Management, from Minas Gerais state, will manage a hotel scheduled to open next year in Beirut, Lebanon, and it will carry the company’s brand name, Bossa Nova. Construction for the hotel started two years ago and it will open in Q1 2017, according to Samba’s CEO, Guilherme Castro.
The USD 15 million investments came from a Lebanese construction company and the possibility of the hotel being managed by the Brazilian management company originated from contacts made by Castro. For 15 years, the executive worked as director in Brazil and abroad in global hotel chains such as Hilton Worldwide. Castro worked as sales director for the Hilton chain in Latin America.
The CEO says that the interest from the Lebanese came from the brand’s visual identity and concept. The hotel in Lebanon’s capital will have Brazilian elements in its decoration. The hotels managed by the company from Minas Gerais in Brazilian cities all have elements of grassroots samba in their decorations.
The Bossa Nova Beirut Hotel is located in the Sin el Fil district and will be a boutique hotel focusing mainly in the upscale corporate sector, meaning it will offer refined accommodations for the upper class, but will not be a top luxury hotel. Castro says that daily rates will cost around USD 150 to USD 160.
The executive believes that 50% to 60% of the hotel will be filled by the corporate sector. He says that Beirut has a relevant role for Africa and Middle East businesses and that major companies have their offices in the city, considered to be stable in the region. Castro says also that he is counting on welcoming Brazilians that visit Beirut frequently due to family ties. Guests will be welcomed in English, Portuguese, French and Arabic.
The hotel in Beirut is part of a larger project, which also includes residential and office buildings. The Brazilian company will manage the hotel, the convention center and related activities, with a business center located in the office building. The three places will be connected by glass walkways.
Samba is partner with a Lebanese consulting firm called Lumen Hospitality, which represents Samba in the Arab country and will be involved in the Bossa Nova Beirut. The Brazilian company already started training its staff. Castro himself travels four times a year to Lebanon and the project’s top management will include Brazilian executives. The executive and two of Samba’s directors are taking Arabic lessons.
Samba Administradora de Hotéis was founded two years ago and is owned by Guilherme Castro, Rodrigo Castro and Andrea Castro. The CEO holds degrees in Tourism and History and an MBA degree in Services Marketing. Samba’s CFO Rodrigo holds a degree in Economics from the University of Southern California and an MBA degree in Finance and Accounting from Fundação Getúlio Vargas. He’s a former professional athlete and competed with the Brazilian swimming national team in three Summer Olympic Games. Andrea Castro holds a degree in Tourism and an MBA degree in Marketing. She has worked in travel agencies, in hospitality sales area and as an event planner.
The company from Minas Gerais owns two brands: Samba, which manages hotels focusing on the upper middle class, and Bossa Nova, which manages upscale hotels. In Brazil, the company manages hotels under the brand Samba in the cities of Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, and Rio das Pedras and Sacramento, in Minas Gerais. And soon another hotel with the Samba brand will open in the city of Maringá, Paraná state.
Some of the hotels were leased by Samba and some it only manages. In Maringá, the company from Minas Gerais will acquire a 30% stake of the hotel. The company also has plans to build other projects in Brazil, such as sites with the brand Bossa Nova in the Northeast and in the state of São Paulo. Castro says the company is interested in expanding its businesses in the Middle East, managing hotels not only in Lebanon but in other countries of the region.
Contact info
Samba Hotel Management
Website: www.sambahoteis.com
Phone: +55 (31) 3888-6161
Email: contato@sambahoteis.com
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
