The newest five-star hotel in Lisbon opened on Monday, February 7th. The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia Hotel, located in Lisbon’s iconic station, is a true tribute to Portugal’s rich railway past. The project began to be developed in 2017, and for The Editory Collection Hotels group, which already has accommodations in Porto, Tróia and Lagos, the Santa Apolónia station was the perfect space to debut in the capital.
The project aimed to rehabilitate a part of the station building that was not currently in use and is not essential for the provision of the rail transport service. The historical legacy of that part of the city is also the star of the new hotel, whose investment is around 12 million euros.
In the lobby, it is the station atmosphere that predominates, among travel bags that mark the theme of the hotel. The main objective has always been to respect the essence of the original building’s functionality.
We were intensely looking for an opportunity in Lisbon, which ended up coinciding with this strategic decision of clearing out the places where we were represented.
Pedro Serra, Riverside’s director of operations.
The travel spirit of the reception overflows into the rest of the Riverside. The corridors are carpeted with huge blue carpets, the color that defines the palette of those paths, as well as the rooms on the three different floors. In the latter, that tone is complemented by the blue of the river, since some of the rooms have a view of the Tagus right across the street.
Besides this, they have a sober decoration, contemporary and vintage decorative elements, different photographs in each one, captured by Catalan photographer Jordi Llorella, who visited railway stations and halts to capture the memory and stories of railway buildings, and various references to carriages. The cabinets, for example, are more open and with metal details, going back to the train structures.
There are 11 different types of accommodations, and in addition to the rooms with river view, there are others with balconies and suites, one of which is quite special: in the Rosacea Junior Suite we find original stained glass windows and skylights. One of them overlooks the heart of the station.
The restaurant area is open to the general public, where guests will also find a lounge area. Chef André Silva’s menu is an ode to national authenticity, with various seasonal products coming directly from different parts of the country. The restaurant has an open kitchen, in a clear reference to the ticket booths with windows. Visitors can also stop by the bar in that space for moments of conviviality with friends and family.
The Noble Room – a historical room in the building whose stucco ceiling was restored with the original 19th century layout – will be another highlight of the hotel unit: it can host meetings with up to 30 people and special events.
It is also possible to find, inside the Riverside, a 24-hour fitness room, perfect for those who, even on vacation, want to keep up their daily exercise routine. Reservations can be made on the website, with some dates already sold out. A night at the new luxury hotel in Santa Apolónia, and Lisbon, costs from €139.50.
