For The Love Of Port

"Dear Santa, I hope that all is well with you and that you will not experience too much stress over the next weeks. This year I make it very simple and I don't ask you for World Peace or the perfect harvest in the Douro like I did in the last years. This year I settle for one little thing: The Pousada Barão de Forrester in Alijó. As I hear, it has closed in the beginning of November and it might not open again, if nobody buys the property... EUR 1 million are asked for it. Okay, Santa, I understand that this seems to be a large amount, but... it's Christmas. And the EURO might blow up anytime, too... And do you know what? - If you give me this little property, I will donate it! I will donate it to FTLOP - so that our community has finally it's own hang-out in the Douro-Valley! Come on, Santa! I have been very nice this year... I think I deserve a place like that - I think FTLOP deserves a place like that!

Thanks a lot,
Christian

p.s.: Don't worry about the ribbon - you don't need to gift-wrap the building.


On a more serious note: The crisis obviously doesn't distinguish between wealthy and not so wealthy - this hotel, which was supposed to be pretty upscale (unfortunately I have never stayed there) is obviously in financial trouble. We have seen a whole lot of new hotels being opened in the Douro over the last years - so maybe there is now already an over-supply in the market? Considering that 20 years ago there was not even one hotel in the Douro (as far as I know) it's amazing how many places to stay are now available. I really hope that this property will open for the next season - it would be a pity to lose this iconic place.
Here is the link to the newspaper-article:
http://fugas.publico.pt/Noticias/313630 ... o-de-euros

I have a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and have worked in some nice hotels in the past. I say, we get 20 people to each put in 60K Euros and buy this property, and have 200k left as working capital. Like dreaming of a white Christmas!

i spent a weekend at the pousada, maybe in 2002. very pleasant but a bit run down at the time. i'm in Christian, vamos set up a company based in Cayman and buy it!

Seems like a steal at that price, but you will have to invest in some upgrades. TripAdvisor agrees with Daniel:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserRevi ... tugal.html

Roy Hersh wrote:I have a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and have worked in some nice hotels in the past. I say, we get 20 people to each put in 60K Euros and buy this property, and have 200k left as working capital. Like dreaming of a white Christmas!

Is there any real interest in doing this?

Wouldn't it be great to have the FTLOP hotel in the Duoro!

I thought we were saving up to buy that huge hole in the ground across the street from the Weise & Krohn lodge!

When do we need to put our money in?

Christian , your heart is definitely in the right place

BTW when was the last time their was snow in the Cayman Islands ?
We just got 45 cm dumped on us in 12 hours .

Les joies de l'hiver

Roy Hersh wrote:I have a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management

So do I. See, we have a management team already.

Ronald Wortel wrote:

Roy Hersh wrote:I have a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management

So do I. See, we have a management team already.

I have a degree in hotel drinking. Now we've got a real management team!

As long as we don't let Andy cook, we won't be scaring away any of the guests!

I'll cook. Do you think we can put a brewery on the property too?

I know that our hotel will have the best wine-cellar EVER... We might spend $100k to remodel the hotel - but we will spend at least ten times more to re-stock the wine-cellar...
On the other side, my big fear is that there might be too many Americans involved in our hotel project. Within a few weeks Alijo will look like an amusement-park... It will be called "Euro-Vegas". There will be tons of neon-signs with "BEST TAWNY IN TOWN" and "COLHEITAS 50% OFF - ONLY HERE" and "DRIVE-THROUGH VINTAGE SHOP". In the hotel garden there will be an attraction "Wine-Splash-Mountain" where visitors sitting in old barrels will be pushed down into a lake of cheap Spanish red wine...
The Douro will never be the same...

I can help Eric cook. I'm also a PMI-certified Project Management Professional, in case we need to undertake any property improvement projects.

Christian Gollnick wrote:I know that our hotel will have the best wine-cellar EVER... We might spend $100k to remodel the hotel - but we will spend at least ten times more to re-stock the wine-cellar...

I will trade beer brewed for Port. I know at least Oscar will take me up on this.

Christian,

I believe everything you say above, about the American involvement!

However, it will also be because of "us" Americans, that the wine cellar and wine list and especially, the Port holdings ... will be so damn good!

Christian Gollnick wrote:I know that our hotel will have the best wine-cellar EVER... We might spend $100k to remodel the hotel - but we will spend at least ten times more to re-stock the wine-cellar...
On the other side, my big fear is that there might be too many Americans involved in our hotel project. Within a few weeks Alijo will look like an amusement-park... It will be called "Euro-Vegas". There will be tons of neon-signs with "BEST TAWNY IN TOWN" and "COLHEITAS 50% OFF - ONLY HERE" and "DRIVE-THROUGH VINTAGE SHOP". In the hotel garden there will be an attraction "Wine-Splash-Mountain" where visitors sitting in old barrels will be pushed down into a lake of cheap Spanish red wine...
The Douro will never be the same...

You forgot about the free gun for every two cases of Port you buy

Roy Hersh wrote:As long as we don't let Andy cook, we won't be scaring away any of the guests!

Hey, I make one mean bowl of cereal