The first meeting of Future Living phase II (Future of Hospitality Institute’s research project) took place in Lisbon!

Over three days the partner group heard short talks from a variety of local actors and market influencers in the hospitality and living space, took part in workshops, visited serviced living buildings and got to know each other.

Reflecting on three amazing days packed with insights and experiences shared at the recent Future Living meeting in Lisbon!

Day 1

Future of Hospitality Institute breaks the ice and brings people together! Let's remember how it all began!

We kicked off phase II of the Future Living research project In Lisbon last month. Day one we did what all good locals do on a Sunday and headed to Caparica beach with our project partners, to get everyone connected for this next phase. We were grateful to the fantastic Alina Cristina Buteica, who shared her expertise on intuition management and power of using our “three brains”. Alina then led the group through a great connection exercise on the beach. Sparkling creativity, the group then came up with some inspiring future serviced living ideas - crafted in sand of course!
 
We also heard from serial entrepreneur and investor Gregory Bernard about his multi-faceted hospitality business Dr.Bernard in Caparica (restaurants, wellness, surf school, fitness, hostel, coworking) and plans for further accommodation development including the potential of a subscription model. Greg is an extraordinary talent with a fascinating story... a former Hollywood film producer with a Paris-based fashion brand owner!
True to Future Living tradition, we wrapped up the day with a lively dinner - this time at Greg’s beachside restaurant, where the evening ended on a high note with a few rounds of karaoke!

 

Day 2

Day 2 of our Lisbon meeting started with a visit to the clubhouse of Ando Living, where we had a great presentation from Charlotte Lecarpentier, Camille Wanecq, Safak Nervo. Ando is a design led luxury serviced apartment developer and operator and it was interesting to see how important connection to the locality is for them together with creating a sense of community through their clubhouse model. Great blend of Branded Residences and Serviced Apartments.
 
We then heard from the visionary Kate Shifman who also worked with us, wearing her ‘experience designer’ hat, in helping to curate the overall meeting in Lisbon. Kate’s experience as a global citizen, nomad and coliving entrepreneur gives her great insight into evolving consumer lifestyles and trends, which she has developed into her Thrive Spaces framework for designing spaces to support these trends. Super interesting.
 
Santa Joana the latest edition to edyn’s, Locke Hotels portfolio was our base for the day, and we were grateful to Ana Lavareda for taking the time to give us a tour of the recently opened aparthotel, an amazing conversion of a very centrally located former convent!
 
At Future Living meetings we like to hear the opinion from the city, and so were delighted to have Paulo Pardelha and António Folgado from the Lisbon Urban Planning Department, take time to come and talk to the group about some of the challenges that the city faces, and solutions to meet that such as a new masterplan and urban rehabilitation and an initiative to work closely with developers and architects to achieve mutually acceptable solutions. Lisbon is not alone in facing the challenges of housing shortages for locals in part driven by demand from higher income ‘new’ residents. We think there is an opportunity for new serviced living projects to cater to this demand and perhaps free up traditional housing for locals.
 
In the evening, we visited the incredible Palacio do Grilo and heard from the owner Julien Labrousse an architect originally from Paris. He has created experience dining in the 300-year-old building, which of course we later indulged in, with faded grandeur largely untouched it truly is unique. Julien is also developing an eco-resort south of Lisbon, which will be built 93% in local eucalyptus wood; how to solve the challenge of constructing with this difficult wood? Buy a factory and do it yourself…brilliant and inspiring!

 

Day 3

Wrapping up our reflections on our Future Living meeting in Lisbon, day 3 was packed with insights and inspiration from diverse leaders and pioneering projects redefining living and working spaces.

We started with a visit to NIDO Santa Apolónia, a vibrant coliving space blending sustainability and community. Unlike NIDO's focus on student housing, this former textile factory has been transformed into 114 living units for professionals and students alike. Features like a solar-powered pool, coworking spaces, a rooftop herb garden, and an app for communication reflect their dedication to wellbeing and sustainability. NIDO is soon expanding into Italy and Germany and we’re already excited to see what’s next! Thank you Ana Marques for the insightful tour.

We then moved on to Avila Spaces where our first session featured Professor Graham Miller, who challenged us to think critically about sustainability. His talk highlighted the urgency of reducing gross emissions, the pitfalls of carbon offsetting and greensliding, and the innovative solutions we can adopt such as how can citizen’s assemblies contribute, or challenging the general business assumption that tomorrow will be bigger than today. From the Iberostar Wave of Change program to Sweden’s carbon footprint barcoding, Graham used several examples to emphasise the need to rethink the sector for a more sustainable future. Very sobering and thought provoking.

In session two, we heard from Carlos Gonçalves, a trailblazer in European coworking, and the founder of Avila Spaces. His creative decision to integrate coworking space into a Lisbon shopping mall shows how real estate can be reimagined to merge work, leisure, and community. From hot desks to private offices, Avila’s hospitality-inspired model resonated with our discussions on serviced living’s role in the coworking revolution.

The final tour and presentation took place at Martinhal Residences, hosted by founder and owner Roman Stern. This mixed-use development, featuring 152 branded residences, highlights how family-focused luxury can meet market demands. Despite challenges, Martinhal’s strategic mix of short-term leisure and long-term rental options reflects adaptability in a competitive environment. Their innovative approach to financing, licensing, and community-driven development is a masterclass in navigating modern real estate.

A big thank you to our day 3 contributors and hosts and indeed to all who contributed their time and insight to our Lisbon meeting. It’s inspiring to see how each of these projects leverages innovation, sustainability, and community to address the changing needs of urban living. The future of serviced living is exciting and full of possibilities. In Future Living, motivated by what we see and hear in our meetings, we will continue exploring how we can create spaces that resonate with evolving lifestyles while driving positive societal and environmental impact.

Looking forward to reconnecting with the project group in our next meeting on 9 December!

 

We appreciate everyone who contributed and took the time to share their thoughts and perspectives, and of course a big thank you goes to our fantastic Future Living partners:

Accor & Accor One Living, MILESTONE Living, Curated Living Solutions (A DivyaSree Group Company), Rebel Investissement, Meindl Cavar Concepts, BSH Home Appliances Group, URBANAUTS , V&A Waterfront, BAT - Bilbao Architecture Team, PKF hospitality group, limehome, SOP Architecture, Midstad