Gay Urban Resort (Lisbon): Who's who?

The Gay Urban Resort is a story, and like every story, it has its own characters that once met and began writing a first chapter, and then a second, and then another, hoping that it will be a never ending story...

Carlos Sanches Ruivo is the "driver" of the project and also the main investor.

credit: Estelle Valente - picture taken in the Duchess Apartment at Travessa André Valente 21 - Lisbon

Corporate key account manager on telecommunication business for several years in Paris, Carlos decided to implement the business plan he developed during his MBA Program at Reims Management School.

"In November 2007 I was in Capetown on a study tour at Stellenbosch University for my MBA Program. I was about to celebrate my 40th birthday and decided that, with a new decade coming, I should change my professional life and give it a more personal touch, combining personal values, such as friendships, with an academic and professional background. I started to think about "where would I like to be within 10 years? What would I would love to do? How can I share in the best way my values and my skills?

Some months later in NYC during our study tour at the Barruch College of NYC, I presented the idea of a chain of Gay Guesthouses to my MBA board."

Sonia Santiago is one of the project leaders and also an investor. Sonia started up two chains of stores in the outdoor and fashion market, was marketing director in food production and business development director for a "Do It Yourself" chain in the Iberic market. Passionate about hotels, she was looking for a property to open a Boutique Hotel...

Greg Aldrich is the newest member of the team and serves as our resident "Jack of All Trades". A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Greg learned Portuguese while living in São Paulo, Brazil and has a diverse background including marketing, IT, hospitality and tourism.