The new Bairro Alto Hotel
Inspired precisely by Pombal-era architecture, the hotel has undergone further extension and remodelling work, this time by the architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, winner in 2011 of the Pritzker Prize, widely regarded as the Nobel Prize for Architecture. Work began after an in-depth study of the surrounding Pombal-era buildings and has restored the original facades of the hotel structures – returning them to their previous elegance.
Inside, the hotel’s character has been retained. José Pedro Vieira and Diogo Rosa Lã, the duo from Atelier Bastir, have respected the cultural and literary heritage of the past and have adapted it to the current day. Everything, in a harmonious link between the classical and contemporary, creates an elegant and intimate space inspired by the criteria of Bohemian comfort and tradition. In this rejuvenation of the hotel’s interior, the finest materials were selected from the Mediterranean and the former colonies, such as natural stone, wood, artisanal tiles and typical Lisbon textures and colours, creating an element of surprise in every room. The design of the BAH Restaurant was the work of another duo: Juan Carmona and André Ribeiro from thestudio. Their work is an homage to the Bohemian manifesto of the artists who marked the 19th century. In a space open to everyone – guests and non-guests – visitors are greeted in a modern and informal atmosphere where the main protagonists, as one would expect, are Portuguese cuisine and gastronomy.