United Hospitality Management (UHM), a recently founded Portuguese hotel management company by United Investments Portugal (UIP), will make its debut outside Portugal in January, at the Fairmont the Palm, a unit located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The growth plans include Europe and the Middle East, regions where it intends to manage 11 thousand beds by the first quarter of 2024 and acquire 100 hotels and resorts in the next five years.
Founded in 1985, UIP, which has governed hotels for 30 years, now plans to redefine the art of hospitality through UHM, with ambitious growth plans. It owns and operates Pine Cliffs - The Luxury Collection Resort and Sheraton Cascais Resort in Portugal, as well as brands such as Hyatt Regency and Yotel.
In 2021, UIP transferred its assets from management contracts to franchise contracts with different brands, establishing its own management structure, which led to the development of this new area of hospitality.
Now launched as United Hospitality Management (UHM), the company is committed to creating new hospitality concepts around the world, including asset development, operationalization and management. With an increasing focus on the Middle East, UHM ensures project excellence in all areas it focuses on, from strategic planning, to comprehensive team development, to customer experience.
UHM's portfolio currently consists of hotels, resorts, vacation homes and residences with more than 3000 rooms, including industry-leading brands such as the Luxury Collection (Marriott), Sheraton, Hyatt Regency, Movenpick, Vignette Collection by IHG, Yotel and residences and Bespoke Vacation Homes, as well as an affiliation with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
UHM also owns the award-winning wellness brand, Serenity – The Art of Well Being, located in the Algarve (Pine Cliffs Resort), Cascais (Sheraton Cascais Resort) and Lisbon (Hytat Regency Lisbon). In January 2024, the first unit outside Portugal will be opened, in the Middle East, at Fairmont the Palm.
Oriented towards entrepreneurship and supported by an experienced hospitality team, UHM is agile in its business model, focusing on the customer. Open to innovation and fully adaptable to guests' needs, UHM stands out from the competition due to its pioneering spirit and ability to make rapid changes and improvements with customers and partners.
UHM is recognized for creating long-term partnerships and cultivating relationships. Globally, the team was chosen for its experience in hospitality, ensuring that UHM's relationships always add value. UHM's management is made up of senior industry and hospitality professionals, such as Carlos Leal, general director of UIP, who leads overall strategy and operations. His experience in the sector spans over 30 years, including extensive international knowledge and experience in investing, developing and managing assets of major projects in the leisure industry, such as Pine Cliffs Resort by Luxury Collection and Hyatt Regency Lisboa.
“The vast experience of the UIP group is, without a doubt, an asset to the UHM brand. On the other hand, the fact that we manage the units from the owner's perspective and not from the brand's perspective, represents a guarantee of return on investment for the owner”, says Carlos Leal. “More than having a vast portfolio, we look for special projects, with potential for improvement and that are truly distinctive in the market where they operate”, he adds.
The announcement of two recent UHM partnerships, the Th8 Palm Dubai Beach Resort and the Arabella Beach Hotel Kuwait, both under the Vignette Collection by IHG banner, is just the beginning of the company's presence in the Middle East, with more partnerships planned for the last quarter of the year and for the future. With headquarters in Lisbon, Algarve and Dubai, UHM is prepared to grow in the Middle East and Europe.
Source: United Investments Portugal and United Hospitality Management
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