The result of this equation is usually not pretty to see, but Arsenal Suites Lisboa took aim at this market and came up with a fluid concept: a hotel / vacation apartment, geared towards autonomous guests that will spend most of their day on the street anyway.
Services offered are the bare minimum of a place to sleep and breakfast (there's no restaurant) with some tweaks to insure a comfortable and modern experience right in the middle of the Chiado. Its 23 rooms include suites, studios and independent apartments with a kitchenette, affording you the option of cooking by yourself as opposed to eating out. A bottle of wine, some bread and cheese and presto, you have yourself a meal: and you can easily find all of these in a quick survey of downtown shops. A contemporary urban hotel can't expect to be a self-contained destination – you have to work with what's around you, and in that regard the Arsenal Suites are brilliantly managed. What do you need a restaurant for with scores of dining possibilities right outside your door? Why not go without a bar, when the area has plenty of watering holes, all with panoramic views and exotic beverages? Why not have a kitchen instead to bring people together and stimulate the use of local produce? You also don't need a garden as long as Lisbon is right at your door; the city is the hotel's playground and as long both exist, nothing can separate them.