| Pontes Hotéis & Resorts: A History of Success |  |
Pontes Hotéis came into the hotel market in 1969 with Mar Hotel. The initial 12 guest rooms became 45 and later 115 in 1974 when it reached the category of four stars. With the physical structure where today lies the parking lot, the Mar Hotel had an area of approximately 4 thousand m². Sixteen years later construction of Mar Hotel Recife began and it was inaugurated in December 1987. There are currently 207 guest rooms and 14 convention rooms with a total capacity for 2 thousand people and a total constructed area of 22 thousand m². Mar Hotel Recife is the largest and most complete business hotel of the Northeast.
In January 1995, Pontes Hotéis opened the best five star hotel in town: Atlante Plaza Hotel, on Boa Viagem beach, with a constructed area of 20 thousand m² and 241 guestrooms. Its conventions center is composed of seven rooms with module options and one executive room, with a total capacity of 1,000 people. Atlante Plaza is the most sophisticated hotel of the region, with an entire floor for guests who desire total privacy, the First Class floor, and it has the best occupation and preference indexes among the country’s top executives.
In December 2000, the Group took a daring step and invested in fulfilling its dream: entering and competing with the best Brazilian Resorts with international standards. That is how the Summerville Beach Resort came to life. It is among the top ten of its category in Brazil. The resort occupies a green area of 70 thousand m² by the ocean. It has 202 guestrooms, among apartments and suites, and over R$ 55 million in investments.
Muro Alto beach, where Summerville is located, is one hour from Recife and is famous for its huge natural pool with 2.5 Km of extension formed by a grand reef. A magnificent Mata Atlântica reserve, coconut trees and a fertile swamp make the paradisiacal scenery complete. 55 km form the International Airport of Guararapes, in Recife, one has access to the Summerville by helicopter or by BR-101, PE-60, PE-38 and PE-09 highways. The asphalt roads all the way to the Resort and transportation services guarantee the guests´ comfort. The chain also has a travel agency, Pontestur, a VIP room at the airport and the industrial laundry Santa Margarida.
Taking into consideration this high level of quality and excellence, Pontes Hotéis & Resorts, with its more than 800 employees, never sets aside social aspects and invests in Ipojuca, where the Summerville Beach Resort is located. On January 10, 2001 the group handed over to the community, in the district of Nossa Senhora do Ó, the Municipal School Professora Maria das Dores Cavalcanti Albuquerque, completely renovated and enlarged. The school doubled its capacity, thus beneficiating approximately 1,000 students of the community.
Currently around 70% of Summerville´s employees are from the region. More than 1.2 thousand hours of classes were dedicated to training in order to obtain excellence in assistance. The resort has received, to work as interns, more than 50 students from various education institutions in Brazil: Cefet (Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Pernambuco), Unicap (Universidade Católica de PE), UNIVALE (Universidade do Vale do Itajás - Balneário Camboriú/SC) and UFPE (Universidade Federal de PE), among others.
The group even installed, at UFPE, a replica of the reception and of one of its guest rooms (apartment) inside the Hotel and Tourism Center (NHT) for better preparation and improved learning of the UFPE students. Education is extremely important but health is essential. The group gave the Maria Carozita de Brito Hospital back to the district, with a completely renovated wing equivalent to ¼ of the total constructed area. Contributing for the development of the community around them is a certainty and a tendency among great companies that invest on social responsibility.
Located on the happening avenue of the capital of Pernambuco, Boa Viagem Avenue, Atlante Plaza Hotel has a privileged view. The hotel’s three panoramic elevators, right on the façade, leave the tourists in awe of the photography of the coast. Right by the ocean, the hotel has 241 comfortable apartments with special services such as voice mail, cable TV, individual safes and automatic alarm clocks for guests. The executive apartments have facilities for computers and work desks with a special design.
Guests also have other options such as apartments with granite floors, non-smoking floors and special apartments for people with locomotion difficulties. The great novelty is a whole new floor with super special apartments, the First Class Floor, for guest who require maximum privacy and comfort.
As to events, Atlante Plaza has seven fully equipped and last generation rooms with module options. Perfect for meetings, banquets, seminars, fairs and congresses, with a capacity for events with up to 1,000 people. In order to provide more comfort for its guests, Atlante Plaza offers the Hospitality Service, a 24 hour client assistance central. Unlike what happens in most hotels, the guest doesn’t need to inquire about the extensions for the reception, laundry services, restaurant etc. All one has to do is dial only one extension (central) and the employees will take care of all the rest.
The guest has at his/her disposal two restaurants and two bars. The Mirage has a refined and glamorous environment, with 68 places and an international menu with a regional touch signed by chef Cláudia Freire. The Brasserie has a buffet with various options as well as a complete a la carte menu, and a capacity of 126 places. The comfortable piano bar Night & Day, located at the lobby, has good music and special drinks. The bar Cortina D’água, located inside the waterfall of the main swimming pool, is responsible for serving the hotel’s aquatic leisure area.
Also at the lobby, the guest will find a travel agency, a flower shop, a convenience store, jewelry store, a reading room and a business center equipped with computer, internet, TV, vcr, fax and a space for small meetings. Apart from that, all social areas of the hotel have wireless internet access, Wi-Fi, available for those who have laptops with wireless internet access. This was a pioneer initiative in the Northeast.
Other available options are a warm water swimming pool, a new gym, sauna, a room for resting and a games room with services included in the daily rates. The hotel also has a massage room and a beauty parlor. Atlante was classified by the Brazilian Association of the Hotel Industry (ABIH) and by Embratur, as the 5 star Superior Luxury Hotel of Pernambuco.