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A Design Affair with Sublime Hotels: The Allure of Authentic Hospitality
The best hotels tell stories and make guests feel at home. They reflect and support their location’s uniqueness, character, and heritage, leaving those who visit feeling like they have had a one-of-a-kind, memorable experience. The best hotels radiate individuality and authenticity.
As humans, we are constantly seeking more profound connections with our surroundings. And when we encounter truly authentic places or people, the connections feel so right and oh-so-good!
Thus began our love affair with the Portuguese-based hospitality brand Sublime Hotels. First, we were lured in by their beautiful designs. Then, quickly we became infatuated with their story. And finally, madly in love with their sublime authenticity and true understanding of hospitality.
We had the honor of speaking with the husband and wife team behind Sublime Hotels, Gonçalo Pessoa and Patrícia Trigo. Read on to learn the fabulous story behind the brand, and discover all the wonderful things they have to offer. We are sure you will quickly see why we are so in love with Sublime.
Lh Exclusive Interview with Gonçalo Pessoa and Patrícia Trigo of Sublime Hotels
Love Happens Mag: In 2011, you began building a summer home in Comporta. Then in 2014, you decided to turn it into what is now the Sublime Comporta Country Retreat & Spa. What led you to build in Comporta? Can you describe your first conversation about turning your project into a boutique hotel? What emotions were you each feeling?
Gonçalo Pessoa: We visited Comporta for the first time back in 2001 and immediately fell in love with its magnificent untouched nature and authenticity, and decided that one day we would love to have a summer home there.
When we started building our home in 2011, we realized that Comporta was attracting travelers from several countries that didn’t have a proper place to stay. That’s when we started discussing the opportunity to convert the summer house into a small boutique hotel with a restaurant and spa. We were quite anxious about this decision since it required a heavy investment and a full-time commitment that led Patrícia to resign from her job as a TAP Portugal Flight Attendant.
Lh: The night after you made up your minds to start Sublime Comporta, what were your thoughts as you lay in bed? Did you ever imagine being where you are today?
GP: It was a mix of excitement and concern for the future ahead. Not even in our wildest dreams could we imagine us coming from a small Hotel of 15 rooms to Sublime Hotels reality today.
Lh: What are each of your roles with Sublime? How does your work relationship blend with your family life?
GP: In the early years, Patrícia was 100% involved in the day-to-day operations of the Hotel, and we lived four years at Comporta with our two children. I often commuted to Lisbon since I was also an active Airline Captain with TAP Portugal. When Patricia got pregnant with our twins in 2017, we decided that it was time to go back to our original base in Cascais. We could take that decision since the Hotel had grown and our team was sufficiently mature and competent. Back in 2021, I also resigned from the Airline, and today I assume a full-time position as CEO of Sublime Hotels.
Lh: What do your children think about having their summer home a resort?
GP: Our twins love staying there and appreciate very much being close to nature. The older ones also enjoy it, but being teenagers, it is always important to also take their friends with them. They have great fun using the Hotel services such as the electric bikes, pools, and room service, but since they grew up in this environment, for them, it’s kind of normal.
Lh: You both spent the first part of your careers in the airline industry, Gonçalo as a pilot and Patrícia as a flight attendant. How do these experiences influence your approach to running Sublime?
GP: People usually ask us what our background is in hospitality, and we reply that we slept hundreds of nights per year in Hotels. In fact, this has allowed us to experience the good and bad and learn from that. Also, we are very much appreciative of the opportunity the Airline gave us to travel abroad so often and to see the world.
Lh: What has been your favorite part of building the Sublime Hotels brand to date? And what is your favorite part of the job today?
GP: At the beginning, when the Hotel was small, and we were there full time, we had the opportunity to really engage with our clients and get to know them well. We have a lot of friends from that time with whom we regularly hang out. Today I’m more involved with the design and development of new projects and also making sure that our operations are focused on detail and client satisfaction.
Lh: Starting with Sublime Comporta and then with Sublime Lisboa, each of your hotels radiates individuality and authenticity. Tell us about how this became an essential part of the Sublime Hotels brand and how you see it carrying forward.
GP: Sense of place is an essential part of the Sublime Hotels brand. We believe that this was well achieved in Comporta and now in Lisbon. The architecture and decoration reflect each location’s heritage, culture, and soul. As we develop new Hotels in different locations, we need to strongly reflect this principle.
“WE BELIEVE THAT ART
AND OBJECTS ARE WHAT MAKE PROJECTS
SPECIAL, UNIQUE, AND BEAUTIFUL.”
Lh: As design lovers, the beauty of Sublime Comporta is what first led to our love for the brand. Gonçalo, we read you are highly involved with the design of your properties. What is your favorite part of the design process?
GP: It is, in fact, where I spend more time now, and I love the creation process and interaction with the architects and interior designers and listening to our expert team for their ideas on new projects.
Lh: We love all the art in your properties. How does personalization through objects and art play a role in the designs?
GP: We believe that art and objects are what makes projects special, unique, and beautiful, and as our dear interior designer, Rita Andringa, usually says, ‘’Beauty will save us all….’’
Lh: Each of your locations does a wonderful job connecting with its local community; how important is this to the Sublime Hotels brand?
GP: Sustainability is crucial to us, and this has not only to do with the environment. We consider that the social aspect is also a pillar. This is reflected in how we relate with our collaborators, the local community, and local players.
Lh: Over-popularity is one of the fastest ways for authenticity to be destroyed. As Comporta grows in popularity, is Sublime active in anything specific to help support/protect/maintain the area’s authentic charm?
GP: We have created an association called Comporta+ with most of the local players. Its goals are to promote Comporta while keeping its DNA, incentivize adequate associative relations, and define and implement good practices.
Lh: What do you believe makes great hospitality?
GP: A friendly smile, attention to detail, and being ahead of the Guest’s needs.
Inside Sublime Hotels’ Locations
Sublime Comporta Country Resort & Spa
Nestled on 17 hectares, surrounded by umbrella pines and cork trees, wild dunes, stunning rice fields, and over 60km of pristine, white-sand beaches, is Sublime Hotels’ first resort, Sublime Comporta. Set in this magical, unspoiled place are 23 rooms and suites, 22 two to five bedroom cabana style villas, and 9 special suites lining one of Europe’s largest Bio Pools, just one of many examples of the importance of sustainability to the Sublime brand.
When it comes to food Sublime Comporta offers numerous culinary delights. At its acclaimed main restaurant Sem Porta, Chef Tiago Maio, under the vision of the group’s Executive Chef Hélio Gonçalves, serves typical Portuguese dishes made with regional ingredients. For a unique experience, visitors can dine in the middle of the resort’s Organic Garden at The Food Circle. Additionally, guests can dine at Tasca da Comporta, a seasonal outdoor restaurant serving Portuguese petiscos, and enjoy cocktails at the Pool Bar and Botậnico Bar. Sublime Comporta is also renowned for its produce, including Sublime Wines, Sublime Gin, and Sublime Vintage 2017 Olive Oil for you to take home.
Sublime Comporta Beach Club
In keeping with the brand’s spirit of continuously innovating, Sublime opened its beach restaurant. Located 10 minutes from the Resort and Villas, Sublime Comporta Beach Club offers a place for family and friends to gather surrounded by the area’s breathtaking nature and enjoy a day at the magnificent Carvalhal Beach and a delicious meal by Chef Hélio Gonçalves.
Sublime Lisboa
Set in the heart of the Amoreiras neighborhood next to one of Lisbon’s most privileged arteries, surrounded by historical buildings, charming gardens, museums, historical monuments, and an Aqueduct, is Sublime Lisboa. Authenticity radiates from the brand’s second location—an elegant 20th-century townhouse turned luxury boutique hotel is the perfect city life setting. Inside, 15 rooms and suites are each decorated with hand-selected objects and their own unique atmosphere.
Beyond lodging, Sublime Lisboa offers local wellness connections for the best amenities and top-notch concierge services for a truly memorable Lisbon experience. Of course, fabulous dining is always a must with Sublime Hotels, and the Davvero Restaurant certainly lives up to the mark. At this Lisbon hotspot, Chef Isaac Kumi, under Executive Chef Hélio Gonçalves, serves up exquisite Mediterranean-inspired cuisine you will dream of long after departing.
Sublime Comporta Villas (Opening in 2024/25)
Located across the street from the resort is Sublime Comporta Villas, an exclusive community designed for individuals seeking quality living in an authentic, natural setting. Planned to house 43 two to four-bedroom villas and with access to the resort’s various restaurants, Beach Club, wellness amenities, and professional management services, the Sublime Comporta Villas offer owners an opportunity to fully embrace the sumptuous indoor-outdoor living style of Comporta.
Intro & Interview by Anna Beck
Feature Image: Sublime Comporta Beach Club, Photo by Lisa and Sven Photography
All Photos Courtesy of Sublime Hotels
Article Originally Appeared in Love Happens Volume 6
