In Campo de São Francisco, the building that stands out for its monumental doors now gives access to Vila Galé Collection São Miguel. After a conventual and health care past, its present is tourism. The first hotel unit of the Vila Galé Group in the Azores welcomed its first guests on June 1st, after an intervention aiming at adapting the property to its new functions, in an investment that reached 12 million euros. As Vila Galé's CEO, Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida, explains, the renovation focused on "parts of the buildings where the convent and the São Francisco hospital used to be. Precisely because it wanted to distinguish the buildings’ historical value, the Vila Galé Group decided that the concept of this new thematic hotel would be dedicated to the history of the Azores, namely its aviation and communities.The hotel’s gross construction area reaches 10 206 square meters, corresponding to the oldest part of the building. It has 92 rooms, a regional cuisine restaurant, a bar, an outdoor pool, a spa, including an indoor pool and a range of massages and beauty treatments, as well as a Nep club for the little ones. The property is owned by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Ponta Delgada, with whom the Vila Galé Group signed a partnership agreement over the oldest part of the building, with the purpose of rehabilitating and adapting it to become a hotel."This was the only tourist region where the Vila Galé brand was not yet present, so we have been wanting to reach the Azores for some time," says Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida, who believes that, "given the dynamism of tourism in the archipelago, and particularly in São Miguel, we will have a good performance. Vila Galé Collection São Miguel will complement our portfolio in Portugal, where we already have 31 units," he adds. When asked if there are other projects for the region, Vila Galé’s CEO leaves everything open: "the Azores are a destination where we see a lot of potential, so Vila Galé is always attentive to opportunities that may arise.45 employees hired and open positions Vila Galé Collection São Miguel has hired 45 employees, but the restaurant/bar and kitchen teams still have some openings. The Group hopes, during this month, "to hire the remaining elements", says CEO. Gonçalo Rebelo de Almeida also states that "the external employees in the region are the result of the Internal Mobility Program that Vila Galé promotes among its employees whenever there are unfilled vacancies in the group and when new units open," he explains.