Change Language en Plan your stay

Boutique Pousadas. The new thing

November 28th, 2023
Pousada do Porto na rua das flores

In recent years, new pousadas have emerged that fit perfectly into the "boutique" category: they have premium locations, careful architecture and design, and offer personalized service to customers.

It was Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager who first coined the term “boutique hotel”, which they used to define their new Morgans Hotel, which opened in New York, in 1984. It was their way of distinguishing the project from the huge, faceless, megalithic blocks typical of the time.

With the growth in urban tourism, the concept has become widespread, inspiring the appearance of hotels with fewer rooms, in selected neighbourhoods and housed in beautifully designed buildings, where guests enjoy the highest levels of service.

The Pousadas de Portugal network has also embraced this trend, having created veritable boutique hotels in recent years. A good example is the Pousada do Porto Rua das Flores, which opened at the end of 2021 after extensive restoration of an 18th-century building in Rua das Flores, now one of the city’s most vibrant and visited spots. When it came to the details, Miguel Câncio Martins designed the interiors, while the flowers that give the street its name were planted on the ground floor ceiling by artist Iva Viana.

There are other examples. Vila Real de Santo António has also had a Pousada de Portugal in the town centre since last year. Previously an old customs house, the hotel boasts 57 rooms, a bar, restaurant and two swimming pools, one of them in an interior patio flanked by arcades reminiscent of Moroccan riads.