Events, presences, moments of satisfaction and success, as well as great difficulties and challenges – namely in periods of war and political and consequently economic instability – have marked the history of that hotel, where, over these five decades, figures of State and of business, religious, institutional, social, economic and political renown, according to a statement sent to VerAngola.
Furthermore, adds the note, Hotel Trópico is also an example of the strong relations between two sister countries: Angola and Portugal. It is a hotel built in Luanda, but with Portuguese origins.
Founded by businessman Serafim Lopes Andrade, in 1973 – who would also become a partner of Teixeira Duarte in other businesses and undertakings in Portugal decades later –, it is a hotel managed for several years by Portuguese people, but also in certain periods of its history by Angolan state entities. It is also a hotel in which Portuguese companies have invested – with several entities investing in it, namely Teixeira Duarte for 25 years –, but where there have always been Angolan partners, stakeholders and collaborators.
Thus, Teixeira Duarte has contributed for 25 years to the construction of a better Hotel Trópico, whose path, which began with the acquisition, in 1998, of the company ESTA (which, in turn, had owned the hotel since 1996), highlight the continuous improvement of services and the significant improvement of facilities.
Furthermore, the note advances, Teixeira Duarte says she knows that if she has managed to get this far, this is not only due to hard work, but because she has followed along with partners, with the Angolan and Portuguese States, with official entities, with the sector institutions and associations, with partners, customers, suppliers and above all with its employees.
In this way, it was together that they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the hotel, on the 3rd of February, in a ceremony that took place in the hotel's swimming pool and was attended by representatives of the many people and entities that, with Teixeira Duarte has built this hotel, namely the Secretary of State for Tourism, Hélder Marcelino, the Director of the Infrastructure department of the Ministry of Tourism, Zahira de Assunção, the President of the AHRA Board of Directors, Ramiro Barreira, the General Director of Infotur, Afonso Vita and several collaborators, who, since its opening, have contributed to the growth of Hotel Trópico, advances the statement.
The ceremony was conducted by the Hotel Director, Diogo Chief Marques, and included an intervention by the chairman of the Board of Directors of Hotel Trópico and also director of Teixeira Duarte, Luís Manuel dos Santos Ferreira Vicente, in which a video of the history of the hotel told by its employees, many of whom have been working there for decades.
The occasion, completes the statement, also featured a brief speech by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Hélder Marcelino, followed by a dinner and then a performance by Matias Damásio.
