This is the first hybrid construction hotel in Portugal

The project was built by the Casais Group and B&B Hotels, in partnership with the North American group Sunny.

B&B Guimarães - Foto: cortesia Grupo Casais

30 August 2023, 12:00

Every Wednesday we present a hotel with charm. And this time to discover the first hybrid construction hotel in Portugal. It is B&B Guimarães, a 95-room hotel that incorporates the CREE Building system, which combines the use of wood and concrete, being one of the most sustainable currently in the sector. It is one of the most sustainable in the sector today as it achieves a reduced carbon footprint, less waste and less noise pollution.

This new hotel unit is the result of the joint venture established in early 2022 between the Casais Group and the North American group Sunny - it is part of The First, a project also of hybrid construction that includes a block of 44 flats, to be launched in July, and the Minho Tech Hub, which will appear in September.

B&B Guimarães - Photo: courtesy Grupo Casais

B&B Guimarães is the brand's 700th hotel and will be managed by the B&B chain. When compared to a traditional building, it reduces the carbon footprint of the construction by more than 60%, according to the press release.

Casais and B&B Hotels are already developing a similar project in Madrid, the foundation stone of which was laid in March this year. It will be a hotel with 120 rooms.

B&B Guimarães - Photo: courtesy Grupo Casais

The future of construction

António Carlos Rodrigues, CEO of the Casais Group, considers that this project is the future of construction. Together with its partners, the group wants to be at the forefront of sustainable solutions, contributing to the development of a society aligned with the energy transition, the valorisation of the territory, the involvement with communities and the reuse of resources. This project, the first in our portfolio, is a good example of that commitment," he says.

B&B Guimarães

"To build our B&B Hotel in Guimarães, we worked closely with our partners to assess and minimise our impact on the environment. The aim was to adopt a sustainable economic approach, prioritising reusable materials. This project is the result of collaboration between designers, builders and several partner companies, who have come up with solutions to fulfil our sustainability requirements. It is the first hotel in the Iberian Peninsula to be built with this system. And it is not the only one. Another is already being built in Madrid with the same system. It will be the first hybrid building of its kind in Spain," said Lucía Méndez-Bonito, CEO of the B&B Hotels Spain and Portugal group, quoted in the same document.