Tourism: Cristiano Ronaldo to launch magnificent R1.7 billion Pestana CR7 hotel in North Africa, Morocco

5-time ballon d’or winner and Juventus hit man, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to launch his state-of-the-art hospitality facility, the Pestana CR7 hotel in partnership with the Portuguese Pestana Group in Morocco.

According to thesouthafrican.com, this comes after the football player was declared a billionaire by Forbes in 2020 after reaching the incredible landmark from his football career earnings alone. This achievement ranked him as the first footballer to reach the billion-dollar landmark.

It is said that the hotel is a third for the football player after he and the Pestana Group (a Portuguese tourism and leisure conglomerate) opened two others in Lisbon and Ronaldo’s birthplace Funchal.

Ronaldo also plans to open hotels in Madrid, New York and Paris in the coming years.

According to KickOff, in a joint statement released in 2018 with the Pestana Group, the plans of investing in Africa was made known with a targeted opening date of December 2020.

However, the COVID-19 crisis postponed plans during a period where he showcased the development of his reported 168-room masterpiece via his social media accounts.

According to the statement released by Pestana, 430 million dirhams (R1.7 billion) was invested in the hotel situated in Minara Gardens situated on the new ‘Avenue M’.

What’s more, the newest Pestana CR7 Lifestyle hotels are designed for “Generation Y” clientele in search of a quiet paradise for work and leisure, with various rooms, two restaurants, a business centre and a spa. There will also be a roof-garden with a pool area and sky bar.

It is further stated that the famous player is no stranger to Morocco. Ronaldo, nicknamed CR7 in reference to his initials and his number in the football turf, is one of Marrakesh’s most loyal famous visitors. In 2019, he visited the site for supervision and posted several pictures posing alongside his future employees.

Ronaldo was the second-highest-paid athlete in the world in 2020. He joined Juventus in 2018 after nine years with Real Madrid. Ronaldo took a pay cut to make the deal happen with his four-year deal worth $64 million (R955 million) annually. Within 24 hours of release, Juventus sold 520 000 Ronaldo jerseys worth over $60 million.