Pre-inspection Lisbon: How do we proceed?
For the fourth year, we were once again allowed to Group holidays to organise for a client from the Oil & Gas Industry.
Well, Ibiza, Naples, Valencia, now it's Lisbon's turn. We know Lisbon very well, but we always go to inspect it ourselves to arrange everything properly on site, as well as to discover any new restaurants and activities. Moreover, we save our clients money because we don't use an agent on the ground.
Pre-inspection Lisbon – Hotel Tivoli Lisboa
During the pre-inspection, my colleague and I also stayed at the hotel where we intended to accommodate the group, namely Hotel Tivoli Lisboa. The only, in my opinion, suitable 5-star hotel right in the centre, located on the beautiful Avenida Liberdade.
Hotel Tivoli is not only a beautiful hotel in a great location, but also has a very popular rooftop bar/lounge, with a beautiful view over the city.
Pre-inspection Lisbon – A photo with Cristiano Ronaldo!
It's a very popular spot, also with locals and celebrities. Cristiano Ronaldo often stays at the hotel or can be found on the rooftop.
Together with the hotel's event manager, we had a drink on the rooftop while discussing this event for the two groups. And suddenly my eye caught a group of men in the corner and I immediately recognised him....Cristiano Ronaldo! My 14 and 12-year-old boys would have fainted! I straightened my back and said to my colleague, "We have to take a photo of this!"
It's nice to show that this hotel is popular, also with the stars! And so it happened! Incidentally, Cristiano is very amiable and very friendly. He posed for as long as we wanted!
Back to reality, let's get back to work! The two days we set aside to put the programme together are always packed with appointments. In two days, we usually visit two to three hotels, a minimum of ten restaurants, and assess about five activities. This takes a lot out of us, but it has always been worth it in the end. We then return bursting with inspiration and can offer the client the very latest. Just like this time, we came across two new activities: the GoCars and the Ecocars. More on these later.
New restaurants discovered
It was time to discover some new gems, so we visited several “new“ restaurants, including Le Petit Palais, Zambeze, and restaurant Central in Sintra, 20 minutes outside Lisbon. Namely, Sintra and Cascais were to be incorporated into the itinerary as day trips.
We were very impressed with all three restaurants and decided on the spot that these three, in addition to our regular restaurants, would definitely be included in the programme.
Zambezi
Petit Palais
Palace of Sintra
Regarding activities, we're always looking for something new. In Lisbon, a tram ride is a must, but we also wanted to find something innovative.
And so we found the GoCars and the Ecocars. Both are very suitable for exploring the city, the GoCars being a bit more hilarious and exciting.
We've finally chosen the Gocars!
And in my blog about the real trip to Lisbon, you'll read and see more about this!
Pre-inspection Lisbon – We leave nothing to chance!
After such an inspection, we present the programme to the client and, on a Go We will delve into content and budget, while still visiting the city in question at least once. This is primarily to fine-tune, confirm reservations, and sample everything again, because when it comes to menus and wine, we leave nothing to chance! Curious about even more reasons why Lisbon is the perfect incentive destination? Then be sure to read our blog ‘4 reasons why Lisbon is a perfect incentive destination‘