Family hotel in Madeira: The Residence at Porto Mare

If you are looking for a place to stay with kids in Madeira, look no further! The Residence at Porto Mare is the perfect spot for your family. The beautiful Vila Porto Mare Resort in Funchal consists of three entities: Hotel Porto Mare, Suite Hotel Eden Mar and The Residence. All tree have access to Vila Porto Mare´s amenities such as restaurants, bars, pools (indoor and outdoor), the spa, miniature golf, sports fields, play ground and the gardens.

We (me and my three kids) stayed at The Residence in a one bedroom apartment, which consists of a bedroom, a living room (with sofa bed), a kitchenette (including dishwasher, fridge and freezer, microwave, cooker and kitchen supplies), spacious bathroom with bathtub, two sinks, toilet, bidet and shower and a terrace and shared garden with beautiful ocean view. Located next to the Lido seafront promenade, in the tourist area of Funchal is The Residence hotel, which opened in 2003 as part of the Vila Porto Mare resort. This four-star hotel counts with 99 units, divided into Studios, One bedroom and Two bedroom Apartments.

In the bathroom there are glass cups and big shampoo and shower gel bottles (as opposed to the small ones, which create a lot of waste). The air conditioning automatically shuts off when you open the terrace door, saving energy. Our room was situated right next to the orchid garden. The garden, as the name suggests, is filled with all kinds of different species of orchids. You can walk through it or sit down and take in the beauty of the flowers and the atmosphere. Throughout the resort there is so much open space and green lushness with plants, trees, grass and bushes (500 unique and identified botanical species!), which really gives the hotel that Madeira feeling.

The resort counts with 5 swimming pools, of which 3 are outdoor. The main pool is kid friendly as it has a part where it is very shallow. One of the pools is actually half indoor and half outdoor and my kids loved going from outside to inside and vice versa.

Breakfast is very well organized and we sat outside on the terrace, near the main pool, every day. There is a wide variety at the buffet, ranging from cold cuts and yogurt and cereals, to fresh fruit, bread, eggs and waffles. My favorite every day was the sliced pineapple and the kids had waffles every day:). At the buffet you can find a water fountain to fill up your own reusable bottles.

The green surroundings of the resort is not the only “green” effort Vila Porto Mare, part of the PortoBay group, is making, the hotel group has a whole range of sustainability efforts in place:

1.Energy consumption: Portobay has obtained energy performance certification for their buildings. The group draws up annual plans to increase energy efficiency. Solar panels, low-energy bulbs, more efficient appliances and motion detectors have recently been introduced. Solar panels were installed to heat water at all of the group’s hotels in Portugal, thereby guaranteeing reduced gas consumption. Light bulbs are constantly being replaced with state-of-the-art LED bulbs, helping to reduce the amount of electricity used. Records of all energy use and the waste produced and its type are being kept. This means management always knows how they are changing, and can make adjustments with practical action that changes behavior to reach the goals established.

To make this process more efficient, a new maintenance management software was introduced for readings of water and energy consumption. The aim is to significantly improve preventive and corrective maintenance processes. All information is accessible to users via computer and smartphone. In the last years there have been fluctuations in energy consumption, with a 3.58% fall in electricity consumption and a 22.20% increase in gas consumption.

2. Water consumption: Guests at all the group’s hotels are encouraged to re-use towels and bedding, helping to reduce the amount of water, chemical products and energy used in the washing and drying process.

At some hotels, as well as using automatic drip irrigation, moisture sensors have been installed so that watering only takes place when necessary and in accordance with weather conditions. Native species have been planted in the gardens, the great advantage being that they can adapt to the climate and require less watering. Water filters have been installed in the staff areas so as to use water from the public water supply, producing real effects on the reduction of the ecological footprint by reducing imports of water and plastic containers. Individual containers have been purchased that will replace plastic cups. Internal procedures have been implemented to reduce the flow from taps in sinks in rooms and bathrooms in public areas. There was a 2.20% decrease in the use of this resource in 2019 compared to 2018.

3. Waste and recycling: The hotels’ waste is recycled, including waste from the rooms.
In some gardens organic waste is composted. At all the hotels, staff and guests are encouraged to separate different types of solid waste.

The quantity of different waste produced in the day-to-day running of our hotels are checked every month. This means it is always known how they are changing, and adjustments can be made with action that changes behavior to reach the goals established. In Madeira hotels there was a 3.22% fall in waste production in 2019 compared to waste production in 2018.

An effort to reduce paper usage is made by recycling it, and by prioritizing printers with the “green print” seal, which also reduces energy usage.
In 2019, the PortoBay hotels in Madeira and the PortoBay Falésia hotel in the Algarve donated 3,850 kg of paper as part of the ‘Paper for Food’ solidarity campaign to the Associação Humanitária de Solidariedade de Albufeira and the Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome Madeira.

4. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):

• In 2019, the PortoBay hotels in Madeira and the PortoBay Falésia hotel in the Algarve donated 3,850 kg of paper as part of the ‘Paper for Food’ solidarity campaign to the Associação Humanitária de Solidariedade de Albufeira and the Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome Madeira. The campaign is sponsored by the Portuguese Food Bank Federation, with both environmental and welfare aspects : all of the paper gathered is converted into food products to be distributed among the needy.

• Cultural events in the community and occasional actions are supported and promoted by concluding several agreements with cultural stakeholders, specifically contributing with accommodation and making it possible for students to perform and get closer to working life. Festivals and events are organized to involve and raise awareness about cultural traditions and landmarks that involve the hotels. Agreements have been established to make it possible for artists to undertake training and to increase cultural activities, with special emphasis on: the Association of Friends of the Madeira Conservatory (Associação de Amigos do Conservatório da Madeira), the Madeira Conservatory, the Coordinating Office for Artistic Education (Gabinete Coordenador de Edu- cação Artística), the Association of Friends of Inclu- sive Dance – Dancing with Difference (Associação de Amigos da Dança Inclusiva – Dançando com a Difer- ença), the Madeira Classical Orchestra.

• Since 2018/2019 academic year, the best Master’s thesis in Communication Sciences is awarded the Paquete de Oliveira Prize, a joint initiative from PortoBay Hotels & Resorts and ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. The aim of these two institutions is to pay tribute to José Manuel Paquete de Oliveira, who “as a teacher and journalist, distinguished himself in the defence of Communication Sciences, transparency and neutrality in information, and respect for citizens and democracy”. Like the hotel group, he was originally from Madeira. The José Manuel Paquete de Oliveira prize will be awarded annually to the best work in the area of Communication Sciences done by students at Portuguese higher education institutions as part of a Master’s course and will be worth 5,000 EUR.

• Since 2012, the PortoBay group has made an annual donation to HOPE : “Small Gestures Big Hopes”. Help from the guests is also involved, who donate 1 EUR (per room per stay). There is also the Run for Hope race. For every person registered to take part, PortoBay donated an amount to Hope. In the 2018/2019 campaign, the institutions that benefited were : Cerebral Palsy Association of Ma- deira (Associação de Paralisia Cerebral da Madeira), Portuguese League Against Cancer (Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro), Albufeira Humanitarian Solidarity Association (Associação Humanitária de Solidariedade de Albufeira), Child Development Support Centre (CADIn - Centro de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Infantil), Life and Peace Community (Comunidade Vida e Paz) and Comunidade Sant Egidio. During this campaign 67,953 EUR were donated.

5. Staff: PortoBay Hotels & Resorts has around 1,100 employees in Portugal. The workforce is very evenly distributed in terms of gender, with a birth rate above the national average (361 children between 0 and 12 years of age), and the group stands out for the high stability of its staff, where many employees choose to pursue their professional career in group companies. In 2018, nine employees who began their career with the opening of the first group hotel (the Eden Mar Suite Hotel in 1988) marked 30 years’ service with Portobay Hotels & Resorts.

In the social area, in terms of work, all the rules required by law and those in the collective labour agreements for the hotel sector are met. The PortoBay team’s well-being is also cared for by providing benefits beyond wages, distributed at different times of year. At Christmas and Easter hampers are provided and bonuses linked to the satisfaction questionnaires filled in by guests are given. There are also internal regulations with different rules, rights and duties for every member of staff. In order to bring destinations and hotels closer together, the Sou PortoBay (I am PortoBay) project was created in 2017. A group was created on Facebook for sharing experiences among all group employees. Each year they receive a “Sou PortoBay kit”, which includes t-shirts, beach towel, bag, canteen and a newspaper to promote the PortoBay spirit and a sense of group identity.

6. Green Accreditations:

• Life Eco Compatível (a local Madeira certificate): Porto Santa Maria, Porto Mare, Eden Mare, The Residence, PortoBay Serra Golf and The Cliff Bay

• Green Globe Certification: Porto Santa Maria

• Green Key: The Cliff Bay, Porto Santa Maria, Porto Mare, Eden Mar, The Residence and PortoBay Serra Golf

7. Restaurants and bars: Local products are prioritized at the hotels’ restaurants and bars. At the hotels in Portugal, craft fairs are organized to help promote and advertise the products of local craftspeople. The PortoBay Prestige Club, the group’s loyalty program, has a range of partnerships with local shops and tourist attracts that promote local products. In its communication with guests and potential customers, PortoBay frequently advertises local products and local dynamics.

8. Health and safety: It is the PortoBay Group's top priority to protect and ensure the safety and well-being of its guests, customers, and colleagues. These high standards of hygiene and cleanliness throughout the hotels have been widely recognized by guests. In 2019, the GRI (Global Reputation Index, Review Pro) for PortoBay Hotels & Resorts was 92%, a result of 12,843 reviews, and amongst the various criteria evaluated, Cleanliness and Hygiene scored the highest at 95%.
In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic and given the need for a rigorous response to the requirements and procedures of the current situation, an internal multidisciplinary committee was created responsible for the implementation, certification, training, and auditing of the action plan considered essential for the reopening of each hotel.

Furthermore, the “Together We Care” protocol - a representative adaptation of leading regional, national, and international health directives. While there is certainty that a number of these proceedings will become the new norm, at the same time there is hope and believe that in time some of these extraordinary measures will only be temporary. The “Together We Care” protocol is applied to all PortoBay hotels, in which some measures are adapted according to the specificities and characteristics of each hotel and restaurant. Some of these health and safety measures are beneficial to both hygiene procedures and sustainability goals, such as the availability of all hotel information online. An overview of all the measures in place can be found here, but I’ll give a few examples below:

• Express check-in and check-out: available online via the website or mobile devices.

• Customer Service: Majority of in-room materials and hotel information have been converted to a digital form and further assistance is available via Messenger.

• Room Service: Service Charge temporarily removed.

• Digital Menus: Easily accessible via smartphone, single use menus also available.

9. Other:

• Further to maintaining and treating the green spaces at the hotels, the upkeep of the gardens and green spaces around the hotels is also provided by PortoBay. The gardening team at the Vila Porto Mare resort is also responsible for the maintenance of two public green spaces. The PortoBay gardening team is also responsible for the upkeeping of public green areas in Santo da Serra. In 2016, the environmental project PortoBay vegetable garden was set up in Madeira : it involves reuse of waste material from hotels and no use of chemical products.

• PortoBay is concerned with creating constant partnerships that are important for the local economy, from creating and promoting jobs to favoring local products. Whenever possible, partners who supply local products are favored and are actively promoted, whether for use in day-to-day operations or internally promoting local craft items and activities in which tourists can actively participate. General schools and those focused on the hospitality area of business are welcomed regularly. Partnerships with schools in the local area are promoted and placements and work experience for students are provided.

As you can see, PortoBay Hotels & Resorts has an extensive list of sustainability initiatives, from environmental efforts to social actions and is very much involved in the local community.

We loved our stay at the Vila Porto Mare and would love to come back one day soon!

Location: Rua Simplício Passos Gouveia 21, 9004-565 Funchal, Ilha da Madeira - Portugal