The
Yeatman Wine Lodge and Spa
New luxuy accommodation in Porto, Portugal
The
Fladgate Partnership, which owns famous Port houses Taylor, Fonseca
and Croft, is in the process of building an impressive luxury hotel
and spa in Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river from the city of
Porto.
Located
in the traditional heart of the Port industry, where all the Port
houses have their lodges, it occupies an enviable viewpoint just
above the Taylor lodge, with spectacular views over the river to
Porto.
We
visited the construction site, where it is already possible to see
most of the structure in place. When the Yeatman is completed, in
time for summer 2010, it will have 82 luxury rooms, each with its
own private terrace looking out to the river and city. Each room
will have a footprint of 40 m2, and the rack rate will in
the region of €240 per room per night, depending on the season.
The
rooms are effectively sunk into the hillside, and are spaced over
five floors, descending from the reception at the top of the hill
where guests enter. There is underground car parking, and the
grounds incorporate extensive garden areas. As well as the swimming
pool in the spa centre, there is also an outdoor infinity pool on
the bottom floor, which has portholes in its sides, giving
underwater views across to the city.
Fladgate
Partnership MD Adrian Bridge (above) has overseen the project
personally, and over recent years has submerged himself in the hotel
industry in order to produce a design that is both practical and
excitingly innovative. He has previous experience with the Vintage
House Hotel in Pinhão, which Taylor opened in 1998 and then sold in
2002.
The
Yeatman is spectacular in its conception, but it has been expensive
to build. Overall budget has been €32 million, which works out at
€400 000 per key: most hoteliers say that €240 000 per key is
the right level for a luxury development such as this. Adrian
expects to lose money for the first two years, but then make money
after ten.
Wine
is a key focus to the hotel. Each of the 82 rooms will be sponsored
by a Portuguese wine or Port company, and will be named after this
company, as well as having decorations such as pictures provided by
the sponsor. Each sponsoring company will have their wine on the
wine list, as well as the option to run wine dinners (these are
anticipated to take place every Wednesday evening). The cost for
such sponsorship is €3650 per year, and Adrian says that 25 of
Portugal’s leading wine producers are already on board at this
early stage.
This
project represents part of the larger move to regenerate Vila Nova
de Gaia, the separate town that faces Porto across the river Douro.
Vila Nova de Gaia, where the Port lodges have historically been
located, is now looking a little scruffy and in need of a face lift.
As Port companies relocate their winemaking and warehousing
operations to out of town locations or the Douro itself, the
opportunity is there to build tourism in this historic district.
