Quinta do Lago Resort: “A Destination for Generations”

Quinta do Lago has announced that it has strengthened its portfolio with the acquisition of Conrad Algarve, with CEO of Quinta do Lago Resort, Sean Moriarty, detailing more about this transformative development, “We have just completed the transaction of purchasing the Conrad Hotel which includes 82 residences. We will bring those to the market over the next 12 months and it is going to be a significant change to what is already available in the market.”

Sean Moriarty highlighted “It is what a lot of people have been looking for because our audience is now in their late 40s/early 50s and they are still working or in the process of selling companies. They are very transient still and the lock and leave scenario is very appealing for them, particularly because of the reputation we have built up with the Reserva development. The rumours were out there that we were at the table to buy it and so we have had a lot of enquiries for a very long time.”

Residential and Tourist Developments

When asked if they can reveal any further projects, Sean Moriarty told The Portugal News “We are still very much considering building our own hotel, we haven’t ruled that out. The Conrad is now the second hotel that we own and operate alongside the Magnolia Hotel.”

Adding, “Our next step in plannings of real estate is really going to be our residential and tourist developments and those touristic developments could expand into a hotel, but right now we are going to very much focus on those 80 residences of the Conrad because they should be to the market. We then have further plans and developments such as Victory Village, which will feature 39 new-build properties, which we hope to do next year.”

The 13 plots of North Grove are the latest undeveloped land initiative in the Quinta do Lago masterplan. Sean Moriarty shared “North Grove appeals very much to people who want to build their dream home and who love golf in particular and there are practically no opportunities to design your own house on one of the golf courses on Quinta do Lago.”

“It is also a great opportunity for people that want to make an investment and they realise that we have a history of providing good value and it is a safe investment. The results are there for that and it is proven that even down through the difficult times worldwide, Quinta do Lago is always a safe investment because of the continuous investments made by us and the shareholder.”

A five-star family offer

Quinta do Lago Resort is known for its five star family offering, the CEO affirmed the importance of upholding what they have built so far, “We want our brand to be a destination for generations and it has become that, over the last couple of years in particular and that is very important for us. If you are a grandparent, your grandkids are going to love being here with you and there is something for everybody to do. That is vitally important for us and a key pillar.”

Further reiterating, “What has made us a destination all year round and not just for holidaymakers, but for people living in Portugal coming to Quinta do Lago is that we tailor our events all year round. In the summer we have the iconic Picnics and Movies in Park, but during autumn and winter we have a whole load of other activities like Mexican nights in our restaurants and we have Thank Quinta It’s Friday at Dano’s.”

“The Sunday Brunch is huge and has lots of kids’ activities and our camps whether that be tennis, golf, sports, dancing are continuously expanding and that is another reason why more people are living here. There are 40% more people living here now than there were 5 years ago in our resorts and that is because there is something to do all the time, and they don’t want to miss out on it.”

Gastronomic offer

Culinary experiences at Quinta do Lago continue to evolve, with the CEO sharing that the exciting newly built KOKO restaurant, formerly known as KOKO Lane, will be launched in Easter 2025. The concept is still that it will be a fantastic family destination, but it will feature a fresh Mediterranean and Italian menu, as well as expanded seating. “Our restaurant and our whole food experience is very important to us and has been a key focus for us for a number of years. We believe it's the source of connection and its the source of bringing people together, at the end of the day everybody socialises at the one level when they are having a nice breakfast, lunch or dinner together.”

With sustainability at the forefront of everything they do, it was interesting to hear how Quinta do Lago Resort has invested in their own farm. Q-Farm produces 5,500kg of seasonal vegetables annually for its restaurants, with advanced greenhouses ensuring year-round yields. Sean Moriarty explained “We try and reduce the sustainability footprint as much as we possibly can. It’s not just only for that reason, it is because we can control the quality of it quite a bit.”

Quinta do Lago triumphs with sustainability

Nestled within 2,000 acres of the breathtaking Ria Formosa Natural Park, Quinta do Lago has made sustainability a cornerstone of its identity. Its recent GEO Foundation certification, achieved after a three-year push for greener practices, highlights efforts to protect local ecosystems and enhance player experiences.

Quinta do Lago has firmly established itself as a global leader in sustainable luxury, earning top honors at the 2024 World Golf Awards, including World’s Best Golf Real Estate Venue, Europe’s Best Golf Venue, and Portugal’s Best Golf Course. This recognition underscores the Algarve resort’s commitment to excellence and innovation.

The CEO affirmed that they have done a huge amount of work and bravely betted on their golf courses during the pandemic, investing 6 million into their golf courses, with the “results having been fantastic.”

“I really think we are leading the way in sustainability management in our golf courses. We are working with technology that is not released throughout Europe, of measuring the moisture of every leaf of grass on our fairways. It is pretty unique, there is nobody else doing this and we are having it on a trial period whereby it is giving us information.”

Adding, “We have had huge savings on water this year and we have got the best standards of our golf courses that we have ever had because we are going into such deep and great analysis of: what exactly is needed for a plant to grow, how much water it actually need and then changing our grass type to use less water and investing in our irrigation systems so there is no leakage.

“Security is our top priority”

Beyond its sustainability, the resort's emphasis on security is key to its success. Sean Moriarty explained that “Security is key for us and always has been. I think it has continued to grow and we will continue to invest in this. I am always getting asked, “Will you bring your security company to other resorts?” and no, that is not our aim. We have it built here for Quinta do Lago and we are going to expand it even further in Quinta do Lago. We expanded last year when we needed to, we stepped up with more people, including changing our fleet of cars.”

Sean Moriarty emphasised that “It is not just security, our guys are trained first responders, they have saved people’s lives. In the past 12 to 18 months, we have really stepped up the training of it. We bring in experts from all over Portugal and beyond, including from the UK and Ireland to train our people in how to deal with trauma. This is back of the house stuff that not everyone sees, we don’t market it as such because we do not feel we want to market it, we feel that the people who come here will understand it and understand that it is unique compared to anywhere else in the world.”

A bright vision for 2025

The CEO concluded by saying “We are finishing the year with a huge acquisition in the Conrad” and affirmed his vision for 2025, “We are going to be focusing 2025, on working closely with the Conrad team, who are fantastic at what they do and always have been, so we will help them in whatever way we can to publicise the marriage between the Conrad and Quinta do Lago Resort.”

With a strong commitment to expansion and continuous improvement, Quinta do Lago Resort will be one to watch in 2025. “Our focus is really going to be about bringing these residences to life, and continually improving every aspect of the business from our standards to our service. Standards and service are always our biggest focus and everything else will fall into place. We are always looking to make things better and our focus for next year is very much expansion.”

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes