Walking through the heavy, copper-colored doors of Hotel Teatro is like walking into a world of artistic fantasy, away from the hubbub of nearby Porto's main train station in the city’s historical center.
And well it should be, as the 74-room, six-storey property is designed to imitate its long-ago predecessor, the Theater Baquet, which stood on the same location and was burned to the ground more than a century ago.
Everywhere you look, the design and furnishings are delightful signs and symbols of the stage, beginning with the reception desk, which is shaped like a box office and where guests receive a ticket to access their rooms. Even the seats facing it are curved, film-roll style, complete with screen images.
Opened seven years ago, the Teatro Hotel underwent a radical two-year renovation with the interior being the work of Madeira-born designer, Nini Andrade Silva. In an effort to re-create its past glory as a popular entertainment center, colorful costumes hang in the foyer, with others behind glass. Alongside them stand spotlights while the bar area features ceiling stage lights and heavy ropes like those that lower and raise theatrical sets. Even the name of the bar is 'Plateia' which means 'audience' in Portuguese, while the restaurant beside it is called 'Palco,' meaning 'stage' with one entire wall adorned with an old black and white photograph featuring the enthralled faces of an audience enjoying a show. The hotel's entrance doors are dramatically artistic, with the words of native, romantic poet Almeida Garrett emblazoned on them in gold lettering, while the bar and restaurant bills are graciously presented inside a book of his collected poems.
