LE MONUMENTAL PALACE HOTEL | Pilar Paiva de Sousa

An architectural design project of reference in the heart of Porto. This is the Mystic River Group’s Le Monumental Palace.
The tale of this building interconnects with its history and the different lives it has already experienced. Le Monumental Palace is part of the Maison Albar Hotels collection and PPS was responsible for the interior architecture design project. Rooted in the built cultural heritage of downtown Porto, the program took into account different specificities of a building with 8,000 m2 (85,000 sq ft), the interior of which—while preserving the façade—is intended to evoke the presence of its 100-year history.

PPS was asked to formulate a plan to maximize the number of accommodation units. The distribution and optimization led to the development of different layouts for the rooms along the main façade and for those that face the interior of the lot—leveraging, for some, the intrinsic characteristics of the view, and for others, those of their surroundings. The suites were developed as tailor-made projects, in order to create differentiating experiences.
PPS is a partner of the project’s “think tank,” intent on continuously analyzing changes in guest behavior and preferences. The public areas were designed bearing in mind the social trends that drive change, including the way the hotel communicates with guests and how it offers F&B service—in vibrant spaces such as the restaurant and bar, places that are the “beating heart” of the hotel, as well as a café/bakery space of memory, linked to the community.