Christian Louboutin has opened the doors to his first boutique hotel in Melides, Portugal. The 13-room property, which is available to book now, is the famed French-Egyptian designer’s first foray into hospitality and has been under construction since 2017. 

Created in partnership with Louboutin’s favourite architects and designers, the name Vermelho — meaning ‘red’ in Portuguese — is the perfect homage to the shoe empresario’s signature colour, while the hotel’s design is a tribute to the natural beauty and heritage of the country’s coastline.

Louboutin has a long-standing relationship with Melides — home to vineyards, rice fields, white cobbled squares and endless views of the Atlantic Ocean — having first travelled to the area in the 1980s and bought a home in the village in 2017. Despite initial plans to transform the now-hotel building into a restaurant, once Louboutin enlisted the help of Lusitanian architect Madalena Caiado, who also worked on Louboutin’s Lisbon house, as well as Louis Benech — regarded as one of the most remarkable landscape architects of his generation, with a portfolio spanning Peru to the United States — it was decided the space should be transformed into a hotel. 

The interior of Vermelho is a showcase for Louboutin’s eclectic and maximalist aesthetic. He personally sourced the furniture and collected the art and ceramics, all the while incorporating and celebrating Portuguese talent and traditions. Bedrooms feature azulejos-adorned walls, peach-hued furnishings and glass chandeliers, courtesy of local artisans. 

Vermelho also features in-house, candle-lit restaurant Xtian, which serves classic Portuguese cuisine in the form of octopus salad, wild boar stew and pan-fried lamb cutlets. The adjacent Vermelho Bar features a bespoke silver counter by goldsmith Villareal and offers an extensive cocktail menu. Elsewhere, spa treatments and massages will be available to guests to ease both body and soul.

Louboutin says: “I realised many people have the fantasy of designing or owning a hotel. I like to make my dreams a reality. That is why Vermelho [was] born. This project allows me to empty my storage full of antiques and objects I have purchased over many years! Furthermore, it is an opportunity to show the excellence of many artists and artisans I admire.”

Rooms from €400 (approx. £350) per night, visit vermelhohotel.com

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