Lisbon tourism is hot again, after cooling down during the COVID-19 pandemic. And to welcome both national and international tourists visiting the capital, new hotels are on the horizon. Lisbon City Council has approved the construction of four large-scale hotel units, located in various parts of the capital, which will bring more than 200 accommodation units to the city.
These four new hotels that will open their doors in Lisbon are located in different parishes and have very distinct characteristics, as Portuguese newspaper Público reports:
- New aparthotel in Alcântara: 62 units will be built here, spread over four floors, in an area of 3,827m2. This new aparthotel under construction is located in the block on Rua Rodrigues Faria and Travessa Teixeira Júnior;
- Tourist Development in Benfica: on a plot of land located next to the Benfica Stadium a tourist project with 82 flats will be built (the other plot of land in the same project is for housing);
- Villa Helena in Arroios: the transformation of this villa will give rise to a 5-star hotel with around 60 accommodation units. The unit is located at number 24 of Travessa da Escola do Araújo;
- Hotel unit in Beato: between Avenida Infante Dom Henrique and Rua da Manutenção, a unit consisting of "two volumes" with 4,203m2 is to be built. New homes and shops will also be built here.
The four hotel projects were approved with votes from PSD (Social Democratic Party) and PS (Socialist Party) in June, relying on the rights acquired by property developers under the current Municipal Master Plan (PDM), which provides for the construction of more than 20 hotel units by the end of 2024. All the other opposition parties (Cidadãos Por Lisboa, PCP (Portuguese Communist Party), Bloco de Esquerda and Livre) voted against, criticising the lack of counterparts in affordable housing.
According to the most recent data from the Lisbon Tourism Association quoted by the same media, the new hotel projects that will open their doors in Lisbon will join the 246 existing units (238 hotels, seven aparthotels and one luxury historic hotel known as a pousada).