With its seductive potential constantly growing, Lisbon has equipped itself with a host of top-of-the-range establishments. In just ten years, the city has almost doubled its number of hotels. In 2018 alone, some thirty new hotels were opened in the Portuguese capital and its region, not to mention renovations.
In order to satisfy a wide range of customers, the city has embarked on a number of projects. For meetings and conventions, Lisbon prepared to welcome the events of hotels. With around thirty five-star establishments and almost a hundred four-star establishments, the Portuguese capital has acquired a number of large-capacity hotels close to its historic centre. The opening in 2017 of the Iberostar hotel, the Spanish chain's first establishment in Portugal, is a particularly welcome development. "This resort brand is beginning to develop urban hotels, notably in Lisbon, but also in New York, Budapest, Madrid and soon Rome."explains Luis Garcia, the establishment's sales manager.
Built on the site of a former car park in the Marques de Pombal business district, the statue of the famous politician can be seen from the upper floors, this immense glass cube offers 166 bedrooms, as well as 11 meeting rooms. "Our aim is to combine business and leisure by offering both work and relaxation areas, including an outdoor and indoor swimming pool."says Luis Garcia. The brand is also focusing on the environment, offering organic hospitality products in bulk rather than in bottles, and banning single-use plastic objects. Another detail is the presence in all rooms of a mobile phone that guests can keep with them during their stay, with 30 minutes of free international calls a day, as well as Internet access and unlimited calls within Portugal.
Other recent large-capacity business hotels include a new five-star hotel in the very French district of Campo de Ourique, the Sana Epic. Part of a Portuguese chain that boasts some fifteen hotels in Lisbon - including the very luxurious Myriad hotelhoused in the Vasco de Gama tower overlooking the Parc des Nations - the Sana Epic offers 311 rooms, built on the remains of a former Fiat factory. Once again, it is the large number of meeting and conference spaces, up to 800m2The hotel also offers a range of facilities for business travellers. But the independent traveller will also find advantages in the smart TV and Bluetooth and Polycom equipment installed in all the rooms, as well as the outdoor swimming pool on the ninth floor and the Flor-de-Lis restaurant, with its fine menu of local fish and wines. This is a considerable plus in an area where restaurants are few and far between.
Work in progress
The Corinthia hotel is currently the talk of the town. In 2001, the famous Maltese brand bought a property dating back to the 1970s and located in the Praça de Espanha business district, and three years later opened a huge hotel with 518 rooms following renovation. In 2017, a new wave of refreshment has swept through the hotel and will continue until the end of 2019, but without closing. After a complete overhaul of the lobby and its restaurant in a green spirit, with walls overflowing with flowers and potted plants, the 443 superior rooms and all the meeting rooms have been completely brought up to date and up to date with the latest technology. The 75 executive rooms and suites are currently undergoing a facelift, followed by the beautiful lounge at 24.e floor, offering magnificent views over the city.
Old palaces revisited
However, apart from these big hotel liners, Lisbon's other attractions include places with a soul. In the formerly seedy Largo do Intendente district, where bobo shops and coworking spaces are opening one after the other, a beautiful hotel, the 1908, has recently opened in a tastefully renovated Art Nouveau building decorated with works by street artists. In the same way, the old, dilapidated palaces, most of which date from the end of the 18th century, have been replaced by new ones.e century, when the city was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755, are being transformed into small, charming establishments. One of the most recent landmark openings was the Palacio da Anunciada in the heart of the old town in February.
Originally founded in 1533, it was rebuilt in the 18th century.e, this palace has stood the test of time and today stands out with its noble multicoloured marble staircases, its ceremonial rooms with pink, green or blue stucco ceilings, its chapel, its murals and its sublime garden with its hundred-year-old dragon tree. "We called on teams of craftsmen who specialise in restoring listed buildings, and who worked on the renovation of the Hieronymites monastery in particular.This is how the hotel, which belongs to the Spanish H10 group, came to be," explains Leandro Munoz, manager of the hotel. The small friezes on the staircases and the trompe-l'œil marble on the walls have been worked with natural pigments, identical to those used in the past. Having breakfast in the Salle d'Apollon, under the blue and gold of the allegories of the arts, is a rare pleasure. As for the bedrooms, which look out onto the interior garden with its ancient fountain and 18-metre swimming pool, they have been renovated in a very contemporary style, offering a beautiful contrast with the sumptuousness of yesteryear.
The Portuguese capital is rich in palaces, and there have been a number of recent openings in exceptional locations. The Eurostars Museum, a 91-room in an ancient building covered in azulejosopposite the new cruise terminal. The Hotel Lumiares, meanwhile, bears the name of the count who once owned this palace in the heart of Barrio Alto. Although very little remains of the original building, apart from a grand staircase and a few doors adorned with marble capitals, the hotel is immediately captivating because of the importance given to the decor, with its soft, soothing tones and unusual light fittings, both sober and bordering on works of art. In the 53 rooms, all the decorative elements are made in Portugal: from the colourful plaids and embroidered cushions to the virgin wool bed throws and welcome products from the very fine Claus Porto brand. Plus: the roof terrace for breakfast, almost 100 % organic and 100 % local. It's right up there with the times.
