"At the time of checking-in, we were instantly impressed by the cozy atmosphere of the garden, totally isolated from the dusty streets of Kathmandu. It was not a luxurious hotel, but stylish and comfy, nicely decorated with paintings/drawings, wooden benches and chairs. The manager Dorjee was very helpful. She and her staff were all young and energetic, very helpful and diligent. We were nosy enough to get into their kitchen, meeting a group of playful and cheerful chefs. Great food indeed."
— An archival traveler dispatch detailing the exact layout and spatial DNA that anchors the Tings Concept framework.
Before leaving Denmark, we had both spent more than 25 years working with business strategy, brand building, design, and communication in international companies. We were also highly experienced travelers with more than 2,000 nights in hotels all over the world on our CVs. So starting up a hotel project was a total no-brainer. So was our name: Tings is simply half of our family name—TINGStrup—and our long-time nickname among friends.
The blueprint for the Tings Lisbon concept wasn’t born in a European tourism seminar. We walked the talk, took our own medicine, and created absolutely everything ourselves—the business strategy, brand identity, communication, HR plans, and interior design. The whole lot. Along the way, we layered in our own online strategy, SoMe plans, and PR framework.
It was during that initial development process that we asked ourselves two critical questions.
First: the mornings are usually the only time you see the other people staying in a hotel with you. When you look around the breakfast room, you find people from all nationalities, all religious beliefs, all sexual orientations, all kinds of lifestyles, and all ages. Still, the style of every single bedroom in a traditional hotel is exactly the same. That would never happen in fashion, food, music, or real estate. Why do it in hospitality? That is why we decided all of our rooms should be completely different, offering unique places to stay Lisbon style.
Second: among all the thousands of hotels we have stayed in across the globe, there were only four we could actually name for something positive. We fell in love with the chaotic Chez Caroline / Aurora Inn in Yangon, the darkly theatrical Helga’s Folly in Kandy, the wild, isolated Country House in Chulumani, Bolivia, and the very basic hostel Bamboo Guest House in Banglamphu, Bangkok, Thailand. These weren’t pristine, corporate accommodations; they were living, breathing houses packed with authentic art, history, raw personality, and a crowd of open-minded travelers. They felt like an open home for the free individual.
The result of our background work was a highly operational plan that we could smoothly implement on the ground. It made our relaxed hotel Lisbon layout easy to explain to all the talented people who joined us along the way, showing them how authentic slow travel hotels are supposed to run.
An academic background may be good for some sectors—but you reach much further in this life with common sense, an open mind, and genuine friendliness.
After all, hospitality is one of the oldest businesses in human history… right alongside prostitution.
Think about that.
Before leaving Denmark we were both working more than 25 years with business strategy, Brand Building, design and communication in International companies. And we were both experienced travellers with more than 2,000 nights in hotels all over the world on our CV. So starting up hotels was no-brainer, So was our name: Tings is half of our family name – TINGStrup – and our nickname among friends
So the blueprint for the Tings Lisbon concept wasn’t born in a European tourism seminar. We walked the talk, took our own medicine and created everything ourselves. Business strategy, brand identity, communication, HR plan, interior design… the lot. And along the way online strategy, SoMe plan, PR etc.
It was during that process we asked ourselves two questions
Thats why all our rooms should be different.
The result of this work was a very operational plan we could not only implement, it was also easy to explain to all the talented people along the way.
An academic background may be good for some – but you reach far with common sense, an open mind and friendliness. After all hospitality is one of the oldest businesses in the human history… together with prostitution.
Think about that.
Since we are the ones who made the rules in the first place, we are fully allowed to bend them. To truly get involved in the concept, here is how you dive in:
Ultimately, Tings Lisbon is our personal statement on what hospitality should look like. We don’t believe in cutting human costs or replacing genuine interaction with automated screens and plastic tricks. By anchoring our house with original art, live botany, and a completely relaxed operational baseline, we ensure that history, utility, and real human life melt together naturally under our roof.
Until the day someone comes along and tries to turn this place into a standard spreadsheet, we are going to enjoy every single unscripted moment.