Dionísio Pestana, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, became a hotelier almost by chance in 1976, when his father asked him to save the Pestana Carlton Madeira, a hotel that had opened in 1972 and was in financial difficulty after the April 25th revolution. With no initial experience, he learned the concept of timesharing at industry seminars, which allowed him to pay off bank debt and recover the company. He then acquired the Casino Park Hotel, an iconic building in Funchal designed by Óscar Niemeyer, and ended up going to Las Vegas to learn how to manage casinos to solve problems with tenants who weren't paying rent.
The Pestana group today has more than 100 hotel units, four brands (CR7 in partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, Hotels & Resorts, Collection Hotels and Pousadas de Portugal), more than 12,000 rooms in 17 countries and about six thousand employees. José Theotónio, current CEO of the group, met Dionísio Pestana in 1994 during a lunch with Portuguese hospitality entrepreneurs, when Relvas was Secretary of State for Tourism. Theotónio was struck by Pestana's pragmatism, who in a discussion about European incentives of 100 thousand contos for hotels simply said to find projects up to that value.
International expansion began with London 15 years ago and today about 30% of operations are outside Portugal. The group opened its first hotel in Brussels this year and the first hotel by a Portuguese group in Italy, in Courmayeur. The opening of the CR7 Pestana in Paris is planned for the second quarter of 2027, near the Gare d'Austerlitz. The group's net profit was 128.9 million euros in 2025.
Dionísio Pestana, 74 years old and father of four children, remains as chairman with the final say on new projects and major renovations. The group remains with a single shareholder, the family, and Pestana doesn't hide that he would like to see someone from the family succeed him. José Theotónio describes him as pragmatic, patient, loyal and approachable, with decision-making ability but also willing to listen. He kept little notes with goals set by the team to take stock of the situation.
