IHI re-opens landmark hotel in Lisbon
IHI plc has successfully re-opened its landmark 517-room Corinthia Alfa Hotel & Congress Centre in central Lisbon earlier this week, 13 months to the day from when the hotel was shut down to undergo a complete refurbishment and upgrade to five-star status. The project was completed on time, entailing the total strip-out of the 24-storey property down to its concrete shell, and a subsequent refit and upgrade of all interiors, mechanical & electrical installations, as well as the Hotel’s façades.
The Corinthia Alfa Hotel & Congress Centre is one of Lisbon’s landmark hotels, located at the heart of the city’s financial district. IHI acquired the Hotel in August 2001 with the objective to upgrade what was then a four-star mid-range property into Lisbon’s foremost five-star conference and leisure hotel. The Hotel was shut down at the end of February 2003 and the complex task of refitting the property’s interiors and back of house equipment initiated. The Hotel’s facades and external glazing were also changed and upgraded to match the modern, elegant lines of the Hotel’s interiors.
The refurbished five-star Hotel & Congress Centre now comprises 517 bedrooms, a 280-cover main restaurant, a 120-cover Portuguese restaurant and a lobby bar. Above all, the hotel is geared at the conference and meetings markets. Its 3,000m2 allocated to state-of-the-art meeting facilities make it the largest conference hotel in Lisbon, able to handle 1,400 delegates at any given time, supported by a 24th floor Executive Lounge affording spectacular views of Lisbon, complete with boardrooms, executive check-in and business facilities. The Hotel also offers a 2,000m2 gymnasium and spa facility as also underground car parking for 55 vehicles.
A spokesman for IHI expressed satisfaction with the high standards of workmanship achieved in the refurbishment project, as well as the completion of all works within an impressive 13 months, making it possible for the Hotel to welcome its first guests by this week. The Hotel is now gearing up to Portugal’s major international event of the year: the prestigious European UEFA Football Nations Championship, to be held between 12th June 2004 and 5th July 2004. The Alfa Hotel & Congress Centre has been chosen by the tournament’s organisers to act as the event’s lead hotel headquarters.
IHI is a public company based in Malta with hotel investments in Lisbon, Malta, Budapest and St Petersburg. The Company’s hotels are operated by Corinthia Hotels International, an associate company of IHI. The refurbishment project was managed by Quality Project Management Limited, an associate company of IHI.