The Hotel-School, which will be the future headquarters of the School of Hospitality and Tourism, already receives students, although the official inauguration is scheduled only for October. The complex includes a requalified building intended for a charming hotel with a training restaurant, as well as a new pedagogical building with classrooms, pedagogical kitchen, laboratories, library and auditorium. The total investment in this project amounts to 15.5 million euros.
Day i, which took place simultaneously at the Campus in Barcelos and the new Campus in Guimarães, marked the official opening of the latter. The new campus hosts classes from the School of Hospitality and Tourism and the School of Sports, Well-Being and Biomedical Systems, operating in daytime and post-working hours sessions.
In Guimarães, the day began at 9:00 with welcome remarks from the Rector of UPCA to students placed in the courses of the two schools. In the session, the Rector highlighted the symbolic meaning of the moment, stating that the school did not exist until today, because the school begins when the students arrive. To the new students, she left an appeal for the construction of community, encouraging them to transform the group of classmates into a community with team spirit and camaraderie.
From 9:30 onwards, reception sessions took place by school, with the participation of the management teams, course directors, first-year faculty and second and third-year students, who shared experiences with their new colleagues. The program also included the "Being UPCA" showcase, dedicated to the institution's services, support structures and activities, repeated in the post-working hours schedule for students in this regime.