Óbidos, the 17th of April 2019
General Manager of Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort Recognized with the Excellence Award for Europe 2016
Francisco Nogueira de Sousa honored as the best General Manager in the Marriott group in Europe
Francisco Nogueira de Sousa has just been recognized as the General Manager of the Year in the Marriott Excellence Award for Europe 2016, presented by Marriott International in a global event that honors the best professionals and teams in the chain worldwide.
In the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the awards, Francisco Nogueira de Sousa, who has been leading the restructuring project of Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort since 2014, has now been acknowledged by the world’s largest hotel company, with 30 brands and over 6,000 hotels in 120 countries, for his work at this resort, still recovering from a complex insolvency process.
Among the reasons for the award, his demonstrated strategic and implementation capabilities, excellent customer satisfaction results, financial outcomes, and the level of engagement with teams and the brand stood out.
For Francisco Nogueira de Sousa, “this award from Marriott International, which includes such relevant brands as Ritz Carlton, St Regis, Edition, The Luxury Collection, Bulgari, JW Marriott, Marriott, Sheraton, Le Meridien, W Hotels, Moxy, and Westin, among others, is extremely gratifying. It is another recognition of the excellence of Portuguese hospitality and, particularly, of the entire team at Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort, which, delivered by Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson and Marriott Europe CEO Amy C. McPherson, has done an exceptional job to make this resort an international reference in luxury hospitality”.
With over 15 years of career at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and three years as General Manager of Hotéis Real, Francisco Nogueira de Sousa is the founder and CEO of BlueShift – Achievers Make the Change, a company operating in Hotel Management and Consulting. He was also recently invited to join the Marriott Business Council Portugal, responsible for institutional relations.
Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort Recognized with Excellence Award in the Events category
In addition to Francisco Nogueira de Sousa’s distinction in the General Manager Excellence Award for Europe 2016 category, Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort also saw Sofia Ferreira, coordinator of Groups & Events at the resort, receive the Excellence Award for Europe 2016 in the Events category.
With a 20-year career in the Tourism sector, Sofia Correia has been coordinating the Groups & Events team at Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort since 2015.
About the Marriott Awards of Excellence
The Marriott Awards of Excellence have been presented annually since 1987, with the goal of honoring the company’s founder, J. Willard Marriott. Over the years, the awards have evolved to recognize not only individuals but also teams for their remarkable community service, diversity and inclusion, culture, and well-being initiatives.
About Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort
Located near the medieval village of Óbidos, on the Silver Coast, and less than an hour away from Lisbon, Praia D’el Rey Golf & Beach Resort is a luxury tourism development that offers a 177-room hotel, self-catering accommodations in the premium villas of The BeachFront, and picturesque apartments in The Village. The resort features four restaurants—Tempera, Cullacino, Maré, and Clubehouse—that offer cuisine inspired by both national and international influences, a wellness center called KALYAN SPA, providing therapies and treatments to revitalize the body and mind, and a minimarket.
This five-star resort is also home to one of the best golf courses in Europe, Praia D’El Rey, an 18-hole, par 73 course, and its Golf Academy. Additionally, there is a tennis center with 7 courts, and the Praia D’El Rey Tennis Academy is also part of the resort’s offerings.
About BlueShift – Achievers Make the Change
Led by Francisco Nogueira de Sousa and Filipe Santiago, BlueShift – Achievers Make the Change positions itself in the market as a comprehensive and integrated solution for investors and operators in the sector. Organized into “Achievement Centers,” led by specialists with high expertise and competence in each area of the business, such as Operations, Revenue Management, Sales Management, Marketing, or Finance and Control, totaling twelve specialized units, BlueShift’s service portfolio includes integrated or partial management of hotels and restaurants, as well as consulting in all phases of the investment cycle. This ranges from concept development and feasibility studies to commercial, operational, or support services optimization.