ITTN’s Louise Ducrocq was delighted to attend Visit Portugal’s annual Dublin event last night at the Camden Court Hotel.
This event, aimed at promoting Portugal’s brightest destinations, was led by Portugal United, an informal group of Portuguese tourism entities.
Nuno França, incoming Director for INTOTRAVEL DMC PORTUGAL, told us all about Porto, Lisbon, Cascais, the Azores archipelago and so much more before moving on to Intotravel’s MICE and Leisure expertise. He added that his establishment is committed to reporting sustainability results and practices through the Forest Certification Programme.
Miguel Cymbron, Director of Sales and Marketing for VIP HOTELS, introduced to us the brand’s 9 Lisbon locations, from the majestic 295-rooms VIP Grand Hotel***** to the more affordable and newly refurbished VIP Inn Berna Hotel*** 🏩 He also made a fascinating point about the raison de vivre of United Portugal: “The goal of United Portugal is to achieve coop-petition; we compete, but we cooperate. Local players are so essential to the tourism industry, we aim at coming together to constantly better ourselves and bring as many people as possible to Portugal. It’s then up to the customer to choose their preferred hotel.” 🤝
VIP Hotels have 9 locations in Lisbon, 11 in Portugal
5 stars, 4 stars properties, one 3 star property
VIP Grand***** 295 rooms, 8 meeting rooms
VIP Inn Berna*** most affordable, 240 rooms, being refurbished right now so currently operating with 86 rooms
VIP Arts Executive****, 300 rooms, 8 meeting rooms in the heart of a neighbourhood where all events happen in Lisbon. They have notably hosted Web Summit and Rock in Rio
VIP Executive Suítes do Marquês****, newly refurbished suite hotel. all 84 suites are 48m2 and include a kitchenette. Ideal for families and long business stays. small rooftop pool overlooking the whole of Lisbon, down to the river
VIP Eden Aparthotel**** with 75 studios and 59 rooms. the most central location possible in Lisbon as it is located on the main square, Liberty Avenue.
Joāo Freitas, General Manager for LUTECIA Smart Design Hotel Lisboa, showed us his amazing themed hotel, opened in 1969 and fully refurbished in 2015. Each of its 10 floors has between 16 and 20 rooms, a different name and a different design (disco floor, rising sun floor, kiss me floor…). All floors have their own distinctive identity, however they’re all held to the same standards of comfort and quality. On the ground floor, guests can enjoy a velvet bar where all furniture is made of…you guessed it, velvet! This 4-star property has balconies, which is very rare for hotels in city centers, and spacious 25m2 rooms 🏩
Miguel Moura, Sales Manager for Palácio Estoril, Hotel Golf & Wellness, told us all about his absolutely fascinating property, which is part of the restricted Small Luxury Hotels of the World group 💫 20 minutes away from the city center, Palácio Estoril is neighbour to Casino Estoril, the biggest casino in Europe, also know as the main inspiration for James Bond’s Casino Royale. Then, Miguel gave us a crash course on history – as Portugal was a neutral country during World War II, all European monarchs and spies would flee there and most of them would stay at the Palácio, including Ian Fleming, making it one of the most historical hotels in the country. James Bond’s ‘On Her Majesty’s Service” notoriously takes place in that property 🎬
Carlos Matuto, Commercial Director of Convento Do Espinheiro Historic Hotel told us all about his dreamy 600-year old property, situated an hour away from Lisbon in one of the most prolific wine regions in the country. With a church inside the hotel, it makes for the perfect wedding destination – that is why they host 40 of them each year. If one gets married at the Convento do Espinheiro, they will get to stay in the 140m2 Royal Suite free of charge 💍
Finally, Sameer Hawa, Key Account Manager of TAP Air Portugal, highlighted the 14 flights a week that connect Dublin to Lisbon with onward connectivity to Porto, Faro, Madeira and the Azores Islands. He reminded us that beyond that, TAP connects us to the world with a free stopover in Lisbon within the airfare for up to 10 days 🛩️
Portugal United had put together some fantastic prizes including stays in the featured hotels and bottles of aged Porto 🍷 The biggest prize, 2 nights at one VIP HOTELS in Lisbon & 2 nights at the Palácio Estoril, Hotel Golf & Wellness (including transfers in Lisbon offered by INTOTRAVEL) was won by the lucky Julie Sebode, Senior Projects Manager for Davis Events 🎁
The evening was concluded by delicious nibbles including sweet potato fries, marinated meat skewers, garnished toasts and fresh drinks like Prosecco, red and white portuguese wines 🥂
A huge thank you to Visit Portugal, United Portugal, TAP Air Portugal and all featured hotels for this amazing event! We are looking forward to the next one.
