Nice to know: A Guide to the Tings Lisbon Concept

"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.

Nicky L. on TRIPADVISOR, 2013

Look Closer: The Scent of a Real House.

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.

Built For the Individual, Not the Spreadsheet

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.

Common Sense Over Management Books

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.

Scent architecture: The unforgettable fragrance of fresh bread straight from the oven.

Quality over quantity: Freshly grated tomato and premium ham on our small breakfast buffet.

Respect over management books: Thomas, Annette, and our multi-cultural crew.

Real audio: Four iconic albums shaping the acoustic ambiance of our lounge.

What’s the Story?

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

The mornings are the only time you see the people that stay in the hotel with you. When you look around you find people from all nationalities, all religious beliefs, all sexual orientation, all kinds of lifestyles, all ages… STILL the style of all rooms are the same…
That would never happen in fashion?, Food, Music, real estate?
Thats why all our rooms should be different.
Among all the hotels we have stayed in, there are only 4 we could name for something positive… 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 accommodations; they were living, breathing houses packed with authentic art, history, personality, and a crowd of open-minded travelers. They felt like an open home for the free individual.

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.

Our 90s Bangkok anchor: The traditional wooden stilts of the lost Bamboo Guest House.

Hardcore travel legends: Sylvie hijacking Thomas for a kiss behind her hidden 90s bar.

70s Rockstar Bohemian: The theatrical, art-drenched reception desk at Helga's Folly.

Unscripted welcomes: Xavier greeting us alongside his brilliant Ara parrot in Chulumani, Bolivia

How to experience

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:

Stay at Tings: Book a room and live inside the brand platform directly to feel how the structured freedom actually functions.
Drop into the Lounge: Come by for a cup of coffee, a cold drink, or keep an eye out for our underground Tings Art events.
Get in Touch: Follow our daily updates across our various social channels—or even better, just contact us directly for a real talk.

When to See

The spirit of our house is visible 24/7/365, but the absolute best time to catch the concept in action is late afternoon. Grab a cold drink, find a quiet corner in the lounge or garden, and watch how smoothly the space transitions from a productive workspace into a slow, home-style living room as the golden hour light hits the walls.

Why to See & Do

Put down your frantic sightseeing itinerary for just one hour. Sit down on the lounge sofa, take a breath of the fresh garden flowers, and look at the original art pieces surrounding you. It’s an intentional invitation to slow your pace down and participate in the house like a real guest, not just a passing tourist.

Creative collisions: Sculptor Eli Benveniste and Annette wrapping up 'Thrown Into The World.'

Sound tracking the future: Young composers working during our annual incubator month.

Acoustic dialogues: Singer-songwriter Lene Lysdal collaborating with Portuguese visual Artist Sonia Nisa

“ELVIS O Meu Rei do Rock” by Local UK artist Camilla Watson signing her massive Elvis portrait on stone.

3 Quick Facts About Tings Lisbon's Flowers

1. The Miss Scandinavia Catwalk: In 1994, we visited Myanmar during the brutal 7-day-only visa era. Exhausted from travel, we headed to the legendary Chez Sylvie to track down real French cheese, only to find the owner throwing a massive, packed birthday party with zero beds available. When we stubbornly refused to leave, Sylvie stared at Thomas and barked: “Then you will be Miss Denmark!” Thirty minutes later, Thomas was fully dragged up, walking a makeshift catwalk, and took home #2 in Sylvie’s legendary drag show.
2. Christmas at Helga’s Folly: Helga de Silva Blow Perera aka Madame Helga is a Sri Lankan socialite, artist, and former Dior model who transformed her family’s estate in Kandy into the surrealist “anti-hotel” known as Helga’s Folly.
3. The 1998 Hanoi Brainstorm: It all officially started in Hanoi back in 1998. Annette was away on an intensive corporate business trip, staying in a standard, sterile 5-star hotel. The second she finished work, we packed her bags and moved into a humble, worn-out shack of a guesthouse we discovered in an early edition of Lonely Planet. Chilling with a drink on that rooftop terrace, we started brainstorming about the future—and we actually tried to buy the place on the spot, but international business laws back then were way too early to allow it.

The Secret Canvas:

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.