Travel advisors, said Bonina, are very important to Octant in the U.S. market. (Photo Credit: Octant Hotels)
Octant Hotels, a group of eight boutique hotels sprinkled around multiple regions in Portugal, was launched in May 2022 with a foundation of two concepts: local luxury and luxury of freedom, according to Filipe Bonina, marketing director for Discovery Hotel Management (DHM), which operates the properties.
Local luxury, said Bonina, means genuine experiences, "the privilege of going to a place and seeing real things." These have to be premium and quality experiences, he said, but "truthful" as guests become involved in the local culture in an unintrusive way.
For instance, at one hotel, guests spend time with a local oyster producer to see how the shellfish are harvested and then get to taste them. Octant has many partners like the oyster producer, according to Bonina.
The luxury of freedom, said Bonina, is all about eliminating rules. Why is a pool open only at a certain time or why is breakfast only served during these hours. "We asked, 'why can’t we abolish all of this.' We have none of these schedules so guests can have breakfast at five in the afternoon and the pool and gyms are open 24/7. And we try to provide late checkouts whenever it’s possible. And we don’t see it as a favor; it’s the right of the guest."
Guest reactions to this approach have been rewarding and in terms of logistics it’s not a big deal. It’s a myth, he said, that this kind of operation is complicated. In sum, said Bonina, "the intersection of localism and freedom is the foundation of the brand."
Octant emerged from a large collection of hotels purchased by an equity fund. They are operated by DHM and are different from one another in many ways. One is an 18th century palace historically protected by the state while another is a brand new building in the south of the country. It was necessary to find common ground, he said, and that is how the local luxury and luxury of freedom concepts emerged.
"Travelers are looking for the real thing and want to be able to remember their stays and talk about them," said Bonina; "everybody wants to say, 'I found this place.'" In addition, he continued, travelers are looking for an informal style of service and want to feel relaxed. "Vacations are so important in this modern world because we don’t have too many. We want to create memories and celebrate milestones."
While all the hotels have the foundational elements in common, said Bonina, they are not the same. Consequently, a different visual identification was created for each property. "We wanted guests to understand that each one is unique so the graphics incorporate the colors and elements from the region in which the hotel is located."
Filipe Bonina, marketing director for Discovery Hotel Management. (Photo Credit: Octant Hotels)
The thinking behind the brand’s name, said Bonina, is that "we were looking for a word that read the same in every language and is neutral. But there is meaning behind it as it relates to Portuguese nautical history. It’s very elastic."
Last year, the brand conducted a press campaign in Portuguese newspapers. Each advertisement told a local story about real people – whether it was someone making pottery for a hotel or another who protects chameleons in the Algarve and takes children to see the colorful lizards.
All of the hotels underwent renovations before being Octant-branded and had their services and amenities tweaked before the launch. Those improvements are continuous.
Travel advisors, said Bonina, are very important to Octant in the U.S. market and the company is creating partnerships with advisor networks. The hotels currently have partnership arrangements with Virtuoso, Internova, and Serandapians.
Looking ahead, Bonina said that there are discussions about expansion with nothing certain set yet although there is a "high probability" of one more location.
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