The Hotelier Who Made Family Travel Chic Is Now Taking On Education

By all appearances, Chitra Stern could be mistaken for a typical high-achiever: engineer, accountant, MBA, hotelier, TEDx speaker, award-winner. But to reduce her to a résumé is to miss the point entirely. Stern’s true calling, it turns out, is weaving family into the fabric of everything she touches—from Portugal’s most lauded family-friendly resorts to a thriving international school born, quite literally, from the ground up.

“I come from a big family—one of six kids, 42 first cousins,” she says, laughing. “So for me, family-first isn’t a slogan. It’s just how life works.”

Stern and her husband Roman moved to Portugal in 2001 with a vision, a few dreams, and, soon enough, their first child on the way. In the decades since, they’ve transformed that early leap of faith into Martinhal—a hospitality brand synonymous with high-end, high-design family travel.

Now, with four children of their own and five Martinhal properties across Portugal (and more in the pipeline), Stern has built a business that mirrors her values: elegance, ambition, and deeply rooted in family life.

“There’s this myth that you have to choose between building a business and raising children,” she says. “We never saw them as separate. We built them together.”

That togetherness is literal. The Sterns lived on-site while developing their first resort, Martinhal Sagres, observing their own children as real-time R&D subjects. How did they move through spaces? What foods worked after pool time? What did they need at 4 p.m.? Their kids weren’t just along for the ride—they were the measuring stick.

“They’ve been our toughest critics,” Stern admits. “Once, one of them said, ‘This kitchen door isn’t five-star.’ And they were right.”

The Martinhal portfolio now includes resorts in Lisbon and Quinta do Lago, and in 2023, the brand made waves with the opening of Martinhal Lisbon Oriente and Martinhal Residences—ushering in a new era of branded family-focused real estate. But it’s not just about luxury escapes. Stern is also shaping the future through education.

In 2020—mid-pandemic, naturally—Stern launched United Lisbon International School, a K–12 institution offering an international curriculum and IB diploma. The school is part of a broader Edu Hub, a campus designed to spark innovation and global citizenship.

When asked why a hotelier would launch a school, Stern doesn’t miss a beat.

“Because we needed one,” she says plainly. “Lisbon lacked enough international schools; if you want families and companies to relocate and thrive here, that has to change.”

As it happens, a defunct university building presented itself around the same time—and Stern, true to form, saw opportunity in the rubble. Now, the school, backed by the UK’s Dukes Education Group, hosts over 600 students and continues to grow. Even its surroundings reflect her dual passions: giant public art pieces by Lisbon street art icon Bordalo II dot the campus, including a now-iconic chipmunk and dragonfly.

It’s a theme that runs through everything Stern builds—combining beauty and utility, creativity and pragmatism, ambition and warmth. She credits Portugal itself for being the ideal canvas. “It’s a country that values family and community,” she says. “And despite all the chaos of the world—Brexit, pandemics, stock market crashes—it remains special.”

That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. There were construction delays, financial crises, and a global shutdown. “Blood, sweat, and tears,” Stern recalls. “But also sandwiches during a power outage. We kept the lights on, literally and metaphorically.”

And if you’re wondering what’s next—because with Stern, there’s always a next—it’s a blend of real estate, education, and expansion. New branded residences in Luz and Belas. A 400-unit hybrid student housing project. Potential Martinhal franchises abroad. And always, always a focus on the next generation.

“I’ve always believed that if your family life isn’t working, it’s hard to make the rest of your life work,” she says. “So we build for that. We design for that. We plan around that.”

In an industry full of glossy renderings and boardroom bravado, Stern’s philosophy is refreshingly analog. Celebrate the milestones, however small. Listen to your kids, even when it’s inconvenient. And don’t be afraid to start a school just because no one else has.

After all, what’s luxury if it doesn’t make life better?