The Team

Roman and Chitra Stern are the founders and CEOs of the Elegant Group, owners and developers of the Martinhal hotels and residences, and the United Lisbon Education Hub.

The couple has lived in Portugal since 2001, during which time they have executed award-winning projects in real estate and hospitality. Together, they have developed an excellent reputation with the market, government and banks with their brand of family hotels, resorts and residences, Martinhal.

Martinhal was developed as an original concept, from the ground up, welcoming families from all over the world to Portugal since 2010. Their family-focused vision and values promise to make the Education Hub an exciting, anchor project for Lisbon – and Portugal.

The couple has become known for creating destinations that have global appeal. Savills names Martinhal one of the top 3 branded residences brands in Europe. Their award-winning projects in the Lisbon area include the Ageas headquarters (completed in December 2021) and the United Lisbon International School (completed in 2020) – both of which were awarded the “Lisbon Prize” at the World Architecture Festival, as well as several awards from the annual Lisbon Salon for Property.

From 2017 to 2020, Chitra Stern was part of a task force for Foreign Direct Investment in Portugal reporting directly to the Prime Minister’s office. Today, Chitra remains part of a tourism think tank formed by the Ministry of Tourism. Chitra has several accolades as an entrepreneur, including: President of the Portuguese chapter of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) from 2020 to 2022, mentor for Portugal Ventures (the state’s own VC), visiting professor at Nova School of Business and Economics, as well as recipient of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the London Business School.

the elegaNt grouP is well-kNowN for creatiNg beautiful Places, with excelleNt services, where PeoPle eNjoy sPeNdiNg time

“A symbol of Portugal’s dynamic approach to innovation, Edu Hub Lisbon is set to become a focal point for the city’s business and education community.

Lisbon has reached new heights over the last few years. Portugal’s coastal capital recovered from the financial crisis to become one of Europe’s most sought-after destinations amongst tourists, investors, and expats. An investment friendly government –demonstrated most clearly by the successful Golden Visa initiative – has been instrumental in Lisbon’s transition from a tourist destination to a dynamic and cosmopolitan hub for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurism.

“Europe’s San Francisco” or “Startup capital” are common monikers, and ones that look beyond the more commonly discussed benefits of reasonable living costs, wonderful climate and cultural heritage.”

The European, Jan 2022

“Chitra and Roman Stern, a British-Swiss couple who own and operate family-friendly Martinhal Family Hotels in Portugal, know a great deal about international schools. They not only chose to educate their four children, aged 19 to 11, through the system, but two years ago they founded one in Lisbon. United Lisbon International School opened in 2020, with the first International Baccalaureate (IB) students set to graduate in 2024.”

The Times, August 2022