A Personal Story

Behind it all, the love for family, the enchantment with Ilhabela, on the north coast of São Paulo, and a determination typical of someone who knows what they want and carries in their DNA the tireless strength for work, grit, talent, creativity, sensitivity, honesty, seriousness, and the vision of excellence that consequently lead to success.

Wolfgang Ingo Napirei was born in 1955 in Germany. From a young age, he participated in family trips—his father was a contractor and his mother a stylist—and it all began that way, with a family vacation and a boy with bright eyes and a keen sense for discovering the world's beauties. The trips his father organized led him to explore luxurious destinations and beautiful routes such as Italian Tuscany, southern France, Monaco, and the wonders of the Mediterranean Sea. During these trips, at nine years old, he saw firsthand the elegance and luxury in fashion, sports cars, architecture, and design. That's when he told himself: "This is what I want to have, and this is the life I want to lead." Little Wolfgang knew that his dream would require hard work and dedication. He started early, seizing every opportunity. On weekends and holidays, he helped his father. He accompanied luxurious constructions and lived amidst sophisticated projects. He refined his eye and watched the family business prosper.

At 18, Wolfgang enlisted for military service to fulfill his obligation early, serving with excellence for two years. In 1975, attracted by the innovations and technologies of the time, he took a programming course. That same year, due to a tragic accident that left his father with serious health problems, Wolfgang returned to the family business.

Wolfgang returned to the family business. At the helm of the family contracting company, his childhood dream began to take shape; his first contract was for the construction of eleven schools in Saudi Arabia, a business that kept him away from his homeland for months of hard work.

In 1978, with his first significant sum of money, he opened a luxury furniture and antique company with an interior architecture studio in a sophisticated area of the city. He traveled across Europe by truck in search of distinctive furniture and antiques. He quickly made a name for himself selling sophisticated pieces and projects. His business acumen, natural gift for identifying beauty, ability to navigate the glamorous world of arts, architecture, and decoration, a fertile mind for creation, and enviable skill for calculations transformed the store into a great success. There was a team of architects and builders, but it was Wolfgang's ideas and opinions that the most demanding clients sought. He then decided to sell his business at its peak, but he didn't leave the industry; he only changed the format. In 1982, Wolfgang opened a mega furniture and antique store, one of those that has everything for every room in the house, but tired of this sector, he sold the business after four years and entered the luxury tourism industry.

Like his previous ventures, this one was also innovative. Today, it's common for tour operators to deal directly with their clients, but thirty years ago, the direct-to-consumer sales model was absolutely new. After analyzing market needs, he founded the Car Share Rental System and an innovative Low Cost Airline concept, a worldwide novelty at the time. Imagine talking about a shared transportation system back then?! Unfortunately, at that time in Europe, there wasn't the innovative vision and support that startups enjoy today, especially in the United States and Brazil. The Sharing Economy was something that only deepened in markets many years later. After this, there was a growth of companies like Ryanair, EasyJet, and many others worldwide. And today, every major car rental company has a car share rental system.

But making this business work was far from glamorous at first. Wolfgang worked 20 hours a day, and at the peak of the business, he chartered 43 planes to meet demand. However, the price of pioneering was soon exacted. Competition with aviation, rent-a-car, and tourism giants made it unfeasible to continue with this company, which Wolfgang sold to a large company in the sector in 1993. The purchasing company, an aviation giant with substantial capital, decided to cease the company's activities due to market pressure.

This meant starting over from scratch, as the young entrepreneur had invested his life savings in this business. But a true entrepreneur is born by facing and overcoming adversities, and so he did. It was also a time when he put on the table what he did well and what he could create to achieve maximum commercial success using his talent. He read, studied, researched, analyzed market possibilities, and in 1994, he founded Medicom Pharma AG, which later became Medicom Pharma GmbH, in Germany. The dietary supplements and natural medicines company had as one of its first products the Q10 formula—which was later widely used in the pharmaceutical market. Again, an innovative success, and with his previous experience, including in direct online sales, the company became one of the largest in the sector in Europe, with 50 different products. In 2008, he sold the company at the "right time," at the peak of sales and before the global crisis. Around the same time, he sold the communication and marketing agency he had maintained in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, since 1996.

In Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1996, he met his wife, Adriana, born in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil. It was love at first sight, an intense love worthy of a movie, and soon after, they had their two children - Mariana in 1997 and Christian in 2000. He visited Brazil twice - in 1997 and 1998 - and during his vacations, he stayed for a while in Ilhabela. That's how he decided to move from Spain to Brazil because he wanted his children to grow up with their mother's Brazilian roots. First, he rented a house in Ilhabela, discovered the marvelous island by motorcycle, and came across a house for sale on Praia do Curral - a house that is now part of the hotel complex - fell in love, and planned the renovation. For New Year's 2000, they visited again, stayed for a month in the new house, and returned to Europe. The following year, they stayed for three months, and the next year they extended their Brazilian vacation for five months, gradually spending more time.

The house was always full of visitors, family members, neighborhood residents, beachgoers, and many children and adults came to watch TV and Disney movies in our living room, as it was unheard of at the time. The integration with the local community and fishermen was complete; listening to their stories, understanding their difficulties and passions, it became increasingly difficult to leave Ilhabela just for vacations. Furthermore, the time came for an extremely important decision: where to educate the children? Would it be in Spanish? A country that was neither their Brazilian mother's nor their German father's? Thus, the decision was made, which was not easy for Wolfgang, and the Portuguese language was also not easy for him. But in fact, it was the best decision: Brazil, and especially Ilhabela, to put down roots from now on.

The Napirei family moved permanently to Ilhabela in 2003 and, since then, travels to Europe every year. With each visit, family and friends ask if the choice was correct. The answer is always the same and without hesitation: "Yes, we made the right choice. We love Brazil. I can't imagine a better place to live."

Wolfgang has always been an innovative, entrepreneurial man with a social heart. That's why, as soon as he bought the house on Curral Beach - Ilhabela, he thought to himself that this paradisiacal setting should be shared to make other people happy, as it makes him. A childhood dream of having a hotel merged with the possibility of sharing this space with others, and so in 2005, DPNY was inaugurated, initially with 28 suites and a super innovative beach club, totally pioneering with his presence as a DJ - he released 04 CDs and became a reference in the national and international luxury hotel market. The name DPNY stands for Dusseldorf, Palma de Mallorca, and New York, initials of cities where the owner has had projects and companies.

In 2008, the hotel expanded, becoming DPNY Beach Hotel & SPA Ilhabela, with a privileged beachfront location, a combination of creative and luxurious facilities, a unique beach structure, SPA and private park with sea views, 84 suites with luxurious handcrafted design, excellent gastronomy and services. An icon of hospitality and a true work of art.

But as mentioned earlier, Wolfgang always thought about the social aspect. That's why he has always supported the local community with English classes, bicycles for neighborhood youth, support for needy families, especially single mothers, and introducing young people to sports through local educators. In 2008, Wolfgang Napirei received the title of Citizen of Ilhabela and, for the second consecutive year, received the Diploma of Recognition for Economic Representativeness in the Municipality of Estância Balneária de Ilhabela. This achievement made him very happy because, even before the inauguration of the DPNY hotel, he had serious ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) projects focused on sustainability and environmental, economic, and social responsibility, also valuing local labor since its inauguration. Approximately 200 people work for the company year-round, a productive investment that generates income for many local families. In short, DPNY is a venture for the benefit of Brazil, the state of São Paulo, and Ilhabela.

In 2020, the pandemic took the world by surprise. It was impossible to know when it would all end. So, Wolfgang made a decision that would make a difference: he paid full severance and all legal requirements to his employees and rehired everyone who wished to return. Thus, during those months of uncertainty and hardship, they had substantial financial support to help.

At that time, the company provided financial aid to street vendors who had lost their income, single mothers, and vulnerable people, and donated basic food baskets to several needy families. Fortunately, DPNY Hotel and its employees, through unity, cooperation, and love for others, overcame this global catastrophe in the best possible way.

In 2025, DPNY Beach Hotel & SPA celebrated 20 years of a beautiful history, and we will continue working with hospitality and gastronomy year-round, day by day. We constantly invest in training, experiences, technologies, and our infrastructure to offer excellent service to our beloved guests. We love what we do and are very grateful to everyone who works for the hotel throughout the year. To date, we have made over 250,000 people who have stayed with us happy, and we have received awards among the Top 11 Hotels in all of Brazil and selected among the Top 1% of Hotels in the World, a recognition of the exceptional experiences our guests enjoy at our hotel with a privileged beachfront location, SPA and private park with sea views, suites with luxurious handcrafted design, situated in a unique environment, an icon of hospitality and a true work of art.