Viriato Rocha was born in Paredes, in 1924, in a five-child low-income family. When he was supposed to start school, he became a helper at a cabinetmaker's workshop.  In 1952, at the age of 28, he bought a small workshop with no more than 100 m2 and which was located approximately two kilometres away from the current facilities of Viriato. Together with the first workers – the brothers Elias Silva and then Américo Silva and his friend Alberto Santos, he begun to design, manufacture and trade his own furniture, and sold to the domestic market and small resellers. 
His entrepreneurial spirit was, meanwhile, compensated with results, and the factory started to grow up, both in orders and in human resources. In the beginning of the 60’s, the company already had 20 workers. These years of effort and devotion were crucial to consolidate the name Viriato and to conquer the credibility and recognition of the market, which were the basis for the following years of expansion.

The major leap to the hotel market occurred in the Fair of Versailles. Viriato stand attracted a very special customer who would be responsible for the company’s greatest turnaround until then: António Rocha closed a deal with the company responsible for the management of 40 hotels of Confortel chain, in France. 
The following years were years of intense market research and acquisition of new customer in the hotel area in France and all over Europe, in particular England, Germany and Belgium. At this stage, the first projects for some of the great chains, such as Radisson or Accor were also developed.
By assuming this turn to the hotel industry, Viriato innovated once again, adopting a new strategic positioning: it invested in the creative development of other decoration elements (beds, chairs, curtains, carpets, lightening, etc.). This is how Viriato Hotel Concept was born, an absolute innovation, with the turnkey concept, which opened the doors of the word luxury hotels market.

The major leap to the hotel market occurred in the Fair of Versailles. Viriato stand attracted a very special customer who would be responsible for the company’s greatest turnaround until then: António Rocha closed a deal with the company responsible for the management of 40 hotels of Confortel chain, in France. 
The following years were years of intense market research and acquisition of new customer in the hotel area in France and all over Europe, in particular England, Germany and Belgium. At this stage, the first projects for some of the great chains, such as Radisson or Accor were also developed.
By assuming this turn to the hotel industry, Viriato innovated once again, adopting a new strategic positioning: it invested in the creative development of other decoration elements (beds, chairs, curtains, carpets, lightening, etc.). This is how Viriato Hotel Concept was born, an absolute innovation, with the turnkey concept, which opened the doors of the word luxury hotels market.

In 1998, Viriato moves to the current factory of Recarei. At this stage, the founder, Viriato Rocha, begins to move away from the management of the company, giving way to the family’s 3rd generation. The diversification of Viriato’s offer to the hotel industry begins. This is how ProjectLab, ResearchLab and ProductLab were born. These are new departments aiming at providing a 360-degree service, since the design to the manufacture and assembly, including decoration and interior design. Viriato thus became autonomous, developing hotel concepts and projects in full and ready to be explored. This strategy enabled the company to definitively become Viriato Hotel Concept, a company oriented to the XXI century. 
The brand became associated with some of the most sumptuous hotels of the five continents and with the world’s largest chains, such as Marriot, Sheraton, Meridien, Intercontinental, Hilton, Pestana, Club Med, among many others. 

In 2008 the factory of Recarei was modernised through the project of a pavilion with a showroom and offices by architect Nuno Brandão Costa, that was distinguished with Secil Award, the national most recognised architecture award. 
In 2011, the year when the market reached the height of the financial crisis, the company suffered a sharp drop in the turnover, but the challenge was met. 
Today, after completing 65 years of life, the vitality of company remains unchanged. Viriato Hotel Concept is currently one of the few companies, at the world level, manufacturing furniture and offering a customised decoration service, working and cooperating with the best interior designers and architects specialised in the area of hospitality, with capacity to develop turnkey projects at competitive prices, from Portugal to anywhere in the world. It is the national undeniable leader and one of the most internationally recognised names in the hotel industry.