Lovely in Lisbon

The Bairro Alto Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, exudes the bohemian charm and cosmopolitan outlook of its location between two of the city’s iconic neighborhoods.

by Helena Calado

Lisbon, Portugal, is a bohemian and inspiring city, where tradition meets irreverence at every corner. These attributes are embodied in the Bairro Alto Hotel, a pioneer of five-star luxury boutique hotels in Portugal. It stands between two of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods. On one side, the bohemian Bairro Alto, with its alternative shops, restaurants and bars; and on the other, the cosmopolitan Chiado, with its typical cafés and charming stores.

The hotel’s architecture preserves elements from iconic buildings of the 18th century, creating a harmony between the classic and the contemporary.

A remodeling and expansion designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Souto de Moura brought the hotel up to date, while allowing it to maintain its essence and character. The hotel was closed in November 2017 for the work and reopened to the public in July 2019, when the complete renovation, including the expansion, was unveiled. thyssenkrupp Elevator was engaged to provide modernized lifts for the project, working with de Moura and construction company Casais.

In the existing building, three lifts (two guest lifts and one service lift) were completely replaced, and a miniature cargo lift for loads of up to 50 kg to serve the top two floors was incorporated. In the new building, next to the original hotel, thyssenkrupp installed three more lifts to service new guest and meeting rooms.

The project architect was very demanding, with exacting ideas and concepts that required a great deal of attention to detail by the lift contractor. Ultimately, these demands propelled the project to a result that satisfied all concerned.

This project involved the installation of six thyssenkrupp synergy lifts, with interior work being completed by the client, with the exception of the service lifts, for which the client chose stainless-steel cabins.