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Hotel Britania is 60 years old this year |
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inauguração 1944 | 
restauro 1997 | Hotel Britania (the former Hotel do Império) 1944 - 2004
The hotel was designed by the architect Cassiano Branco and its inauguration on 13 October 1944, as Hotel do Império, was widely reported in the press. The reports focused in particular on the modernity of the building and the fact that the rooms are really small apartments, comprising an antechamber, private bathroom and bedroom, some of which have an additional sitting room.
In the 1940's and 50's the hotel enjoyed enormous prestige and it was the stage for many grand social and routine parties and events.
The constant presence of Natália Correia, who had been married to Alfredo Machado (the manager of the hotel at the time) since 1950, and her friends aided in creating the intellectual, political and even bohemian atmosphere that enveloped the hotel during the 1950's. As it happened, Natália Correia in 1953 moved to the fifth floor of the apartment building located at Rua Rodrigues Sampaio, 52, which became famous not only as a literary meeting place but also for the Faust-like meals that were served there, which came from the Hotel do Império, across the road.
The hotel was the backdrop to political conspiracies. It was there that secret meetings with General Humberto Delgado, attended by Natália Correia and many other supporters, were held prior to the 1958 elections.
According to a witness, Dórdio Leal Guimarães, Natália Correia locked herself away in the hotel years later to write the play "O Encoberto". The play was not permitted to be performed at the time by the censors. It was the first play to be performed at Maria Matos Theatre after the 25 April revolution.
Countless stories remain fresh in the memory of those who stayed at the hotel. Some of the most significant guests and visitors to the hotel include Francisco de Sousa Tavares, Sophia de Mello Breyner, Vera Lagoa, the Count of Covilhã and the Count of Lousã. The magnate Patiño was also a constant client and the actor Omar Shariff, a lover of bridge, played at the Hotel do Império on a number of occasions. More recently, regular guests have included Vinícios de Moraes, Assis Pacheco, Cardoso Pires and Batista Bastos.
Many other public figures have stayed at the hotel, including Admiral Pinheiro de Azevedo, who stayed there after the 1976 election.
Hotel Britania has been classified by the Portuguese General Directorate for Tourism as a building of Notable Architectural and Historical-Cultural Value, not only because of its importance in architectural terms and as a repository of decorative arts (Art Deco) items from the 1940's, but also because of the fact that it is a symbol of the hotel sector in the capital city, since it is the oldest hotel in Lisbon, constructed specifically for the purpose, that is still intact and has remained in operation since opening in 1944.
Renovation work was undertaken at the end of the nineties. This work was awarded an honourable mention in the Eugénio dos Santos Municipal Awards (an award that bestowed on the entities responsible for the restoration, renovation and rehabilitation of buildings in Lisbon municipality).
This year, as a result of the 60th anniversary celebrations, additional work is being carried to valorise even more the unique character of this hotel that already forms part of the city's heritage.
The initial phase of the works encompassed the architecture and some of the decorative elements, while this phase includes the restoration of the original flooring of the rooms and will complete the restoration of the furniture.
The new contemporary-styled decoration forms the bridge between the hotel's past and its modern version.
The restoration work has been carried out using quality Portuguese materials - marble, paints, wood, cork, chandeliers, stucco plaster, etc. - keeping with the building's originality and its original design.
Particular attention was paid to details, such as sanitary ware and bathroom accessories, metal fittings, etc. Portuguese material was used whenever possible.
The cloth used in the new decoration is also, mostly, manufactured in Portugal.
1944 | 
2004 |
The decoration
"The light filtered by the glass of the beautiful and artistic chandeliers (…) make these different toned "nightspots" charming places" (Diário de Lisboa newspaper, 14 October 1944).
The original idea of the decoration was once again taken, sixty years later, as the inspiration for the decoration, aided by news articles and photographs from the 1940's. The different colours produced by the chandeliers were the starting point for the creation of three colour options that give the rooms completely distinctive atmospheres.
In the contemporary decoration, the great swathe of colour of the cloth that always covers one of the walls of the rooms subtly alludes to the original decoration of the 1940's.
Restoration of the rooms' floors
The carpets were removed from the floors and the floor of cork tiles, which is difficult to find nowadays, was uncovered.
Cork has once again become synonymous with safety, comfort, health and well-being, just like it was in the sixties when the cork floor was installed.
The cork tiles were manufactured in 1944 by the prestigious Fábrica Mundet factory. The cork interacts with the marble floor of the corridors and bathrooms, repeating the same geometric art deco patterns.
The flooring was restored manually, according to the original design and techniques used.
The furniture
The furniture was specifically manufactured for Hotel do Império at the start of the 1940's by Móveis Costa in Porto. All of the repair elements that had been affixed to the furniture over the years were removed.
The original design of the solid mahogany beds was restored, and chrome fittings were designed, according to the original modernist/art deco style, and manufactured for all other pieces of furniture. |
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