Nobu plans luxury hotel and residences at Portugal's Monte Rei resort
The luxury hospitality brand is expanding its European footprint with a new hotel and residential development in the Algarve, signaling continued investor appetite for high-end real estate in southern Portugal.
Nobu Hospitality will develop a new hotel, restaurant and residential complex at the Monte Rei resort in Portugal’s eastern Algarve. The project is scheduled to welcome its first guests in 2029, with construction set to begin in 2027.
The development will feature a 100-room hotel and a signature restaurant. It will also include 21,000 square meters of branded villas and residences. The site spans more than 1,000 acres of countryside and centers on a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
Norfin is partnering on the development, while Rockwell Group and DSA Architects handle the design. The investment underscores a broader trend of luxury brands monetizing real estate through branded residences, tapping into demand for premium living spaces in southern Europe.
Trevor Horwell, CEO of Nobu Hospitality, highlighted the location's appeal. “Monte Rei offers a rare combination of natural beauty, privacy and an established reputation for exceptional golf and residential living,” he said.
Horwell noted the strategy behind the specific location. “Together with Norfin, we have the opportunity to create a distinctive Nobu destination that feels deeply connected to the Eastern Algarve while delivering the hospitality, dining, design and service for which the brand is known around the world,” he added.
This will be the brand's second property in Portugal. It follows an upcoming hotel on the Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon, which has not yet opened its doors.
The Algarve project is part of a wider European expansion strategy for the hospitality group. Nobu currently operates hotels in cities including Barcelona, Ibiza, London, Marbella, Rome, San Sebastian and Warsaw.
A Madrid location is due to open this September, with further hotels planned for Hamburg and Kraków. The brand is also diversifying its European portfolio beyond traditional city hotels.
Future European projects include a countryside retreat in Rutland, England, marking its first such UK location. Additionally, the company is developing branded residences in Amsterdam and Montenegro.
