I had the pleasure of being invited to Lisbon by SANA hotels to stay in their newly refurbished 5-star EPIC SANA Marquês Hotel. SANA had a full itinerary planned for us, including visiting their hotel collection throughout Lisbon.
I was greeted at Heathrow Airport by SANA and TAP Air Portugal who organised the groups flights. Upon arrival we were transferred directly to the EPIC SANA Marquês where we dined in their Italian restaurant - one of two restaurants at this hotel, the other being Japanese on the 12th floor, with incredible views of the city.
The following morning we had a tour of the brand new conference suite on the lower two floors of the hotel. The event space is fully customisable catering to all group sizes up to 500 people for conferences. Even two or three smaller groups could be hosted at the same time.
The group’s first activity was a guided bus tour of Lisbon through to the Ponte 25 de Abril, Lisbon’s iconic suspension bridge, built by the same company who built the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. From here we transferred into a speed-boat for a tour of Lisbon from the river. We learnt how Lisbon was entirely destroyed by a tsunami 250 years previously and how little of the city from that time remained.
We disembarked at the famous Belém Tower and walked down the embankment to the excellent event space that is SUD Lisboa Hall – a blank space, right on the river that can host up to 500 guests in any format you see fit.
That afternoon we visited the SANA Metropolitan hotel for a quick tour. This hotel is perfect for pharmaceutical and health industries with it’s quick transfer to the airport. In the evening we dined at the 5* Epic Sana Lisboa, Sana’s flagship hotel that can cater to large events, like conferences and exhibitions. This was followed by drinks at the Evolution Lisboa - a cool, contemporary 4-star hotel that will predominately serve as a place for bedrooms rather than hosting events.
On the Saturday morning we had another tour, but this time of the old town via tuk-tuk, which was definitely needed given the narrow cobbled streets, and having your wits about you to avoid the trams. We passed a number of historic sites on route through Alfama from Santa Justa Lift, Castelo de S. Jorge and the Lisbon Cathedral. We finished off at Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, an epic viewpoint of the whole city. Although touristy is was surprisingly quiet and tranquil, and perfect for taking in the expanse of the city from new through to old.
Lunch was hosted at SANA Malhoa Hotel, another perfect, and more contemporary, hotel to host large corporate events. The dining and lobby area has been recently revamped and is a real signature to the hotel and its brand. The final hotel we visited was the Myriad for dinner - Lisbon’s most unique hotel, situated right on river by the Vasco da Gama Bridge, Western Europe’s longest bridge. This hotel is SANA’s premium hotel in Lisbon and is predominately for bedrooms and smaller networking events and awards evenings. The wow factor is key here. Neighbouring the hotel is an expo and conference space and is connected by a direct elevated walkway.
Lisbon as a city has everything a group from 50 – 500 will need to be entertained and hosted during an event. And there is no better than working with SANA to find the perfect space to fit your event. And if Lisbon isn’t quite right, remember SANA has hotels further south in the Algarve, which might be what you’re after.
