Christian Louboutin, the creator of the famous red-soled stilettos, has had a long-time love affair with Portugal. For many years he had a vacation home in Comporta, where a cool new wellness retreat is opening this month, before buying a beach house near the Lagoa de Melides. (One of the designer’s shoe lines even bears the name Melides.) He also owns a property in Lisbon in the Castelo de São Jorge quarter. For the opening of the designer’s first hotel, Christian Louboutin set his sights on the Alentejo region that he knows and loves well.
As reported by the Jornal de Negócios newspaper, Louboutin spent 500,000 euros on the terrain in the center of the village of Melides, which will be developed into a boutique hotel of just 21 rooms. Louboutin recruited architect Madalena Caiado to oversee the project to make sure it blends into the surroundings and doesn’t detract from the area’s natural beauty.
According to WWD, Louboutin described the hotel as “simple outside; impactful inside.” The designer is quoted as saying, “I’m buying furniture for it, I’m collecting ceramics, I’m buying aboriginal art I would like to put in there.” There will also be a restaurant, serving organic, seasonal cuisine with local ingredients (think: freshly caught fish, wines, cheeses).
Construction will kick off in April, with an anticipated completion date in 2020— just in time for the summer season. No word yet on the hotel’s name, nor whether we can expect other Christian Louboutin hotels to follow suit.
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