Hotel marketing agency to build its own hotel

A UK-based hotel marketing agency is to build and run its own hotel in Portugal in a bid to show its clients its commitment to hospitality.

Seven-year-old marketing firm Pic PR will launch the seven-bedroom hotel in three years' time, with the aim of marking its 10th anniversary.

It has bought some land 10 minutes from the beach resort of Nazaré, an hour from Lisbon airport, and two hours from Porto.

Managing director David Barrett (pictured) said he wanted to show that smart communications and marketing could lead to running a profitable hospitality business.

"Early last year, the management team and I decided what a neat idea it would be to build and run our own hotel," Barratt said.

"We advise hoteliers all the time, so this is a bit of a ‘put your money where your mouth is' project. We believe by doing all this, it will show how passionate we are about boutique hotels and hospitality in general."

Pic PR will manage all of the pre-marketing and post-marketing for the hotel itself, and has chosen the location because Lisbon is currently one of the most popular city break destinations among UK holidaymakers, with Porto becoming popular too.

Planning has already been approved. Once final drawings are completed and approved, building will start at the end of the year.

While the hotel will initially have seven bedrooms, the company plans luxury lodges to be built at a later day, taking the venue to 14 bedrooms.

Pic's hotel clients in the UK have included the Feversham Arms and Black Swan in Helmsley, North Yorkshire; the Calcot Collection; Storrs Hall, Windermere, Cumbria; and the Kings Head, Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

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