Nice to know: Tings Lisbon’s cats.
"Loved the two resident cats." • "The cats are also very cute, and I’m not a cat person" • "I also loved the cats, Chimmi and Rocco!" • "The cats were frosting on the cake!" • "Orange cat visited us a few times" • "Personable staff and cats." • "I found it funny to see the cats wandering around the hotel" • "gonna miss Chimmy boy." • "There's also a large friendly cat, which was a bonus"
Look Closer: The Quiet Company of Our House
You don’t check into Tings looking for a sterile lobby, stiff uniforms, or corporate scripts. We explicitly traded those traditional hotel formalities away to build a true Graça boutique hotel Lisbon style house centered on the things that actually matter to us: a lush, slightly wild hidden garden, original art on the walls, and the slow, independent company of our two resident cats Chimmi & Rocco who makes Tings the most relaxed hotel in Lisbon
The Brothers Together
What’s the Story?
Here is the blunt truth: we were never actually “pet people.” The whole feline empire started by complete coincidence years ago when we opened the original Tings Tea Lounge & Lounge Hotel in Kathmandu. Everyone insisted we needed a guard dog. Wanting to avoid the high-maintenance drama of a dog, we opted for cats instead. They were independent, clean, and perfectly matched our relaxed energy.
When we finally announced to the world that we were expanding and packing our bags for Lisbon, our inbox didn’t just fill up with congratulatory notes. Our regular guests from Nepal flooded us with messages saying, “We are going to miss the cats!” It became completely obvious that the Tings identity wasn’t whole without a set of paws roaming the floorboards.
So, enter the Lisbon generation. The orange one is Chimmi and the black-and-white one is Rocco. Despite being completely night-and-day in their personalities, looks, and daily habits, they are literal siblings born on the exact same day. In a twist of classic street-cat biology, they actually have different dads.
Together they are Tings Lisbons resident watch cats 🙂
Say HI to Rocco
The Graça Roaming Routine
The absolute best thing about Chimmi and Rocco is their unbothered, independent attitude. They don’t put on a performance for customer service points. If they get tired of the attention or the guests, they simply stand up and walk away.
They treat the entire Senhora do Monte neighborhood as their personal kingdom. They roam the cobblestone alleys, slip through hidden garden gates, and are fully recognized by the local shopkeepers. Honestly, given how long they disappear sometimes, we are highly suspicious that they have negotiated a secret second home somewhere further down the ridge.
How to Interact (On Their Terms)
You don’t need to hunt for them; they will find you when the mood strikes. To enjoy their company like a true insider:
- The Garden Standoff: Grab a cold drink, sit in the courtyard, and just wait. Chimmi is known to make casual guest appearances right when you least expect it.
- The Window Sill Patrol: Keep an eye on the sunny ledges around the house. Rocco excels at finding the exact square inch of the property tracking the afternoon sun.
- Respect the Exit: If a tail starts twitching or they head for the gate, let them go. They have neighborhood politics to attend to in Graça.
Say HI to Chimmi
The Final Takeaway
At the end of the day, Chimmi and Rocco represent the exact baseline of what we built here in Lisbon. They slow the pace down. They remind our travelers to stop frantically checking their sightseeing itineraries, sit down in the green shade, and appreciate the timeless, quiet moments that you can’t buy a tourist ticket for.
3 Quick Facts About the Tings Cat Empire
- The Cats Twin Legacy: Our cozy first-floor twin room in Graça is officially named the Cats Twin Room as a tribute to our original Kathmandu squad—Pretty, Tiger, Otto, and Ginie. They tragically passed away from Cat AIDS (FIV), but their chaotic energy is permanently alive on the left wall of the room. Our artist friend from Nepal, Shraddha Shrestha, dropped by during the launch madness and transformed the entire wall into a custom, hand-painted comic mural of feline antics.
- The Lockdown Portrait: During the brutal isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of our long-term artist guests found comfort in the house by bonding deeply with our late cat, Pretty. Before checking out, she painted a breathtaking, 100% true-to-life portrait of her. It hangs proudly on the wall in our bar today, so you can raise a glass to the original generation.
- The Bangkok Black Market: Every single year in March, Thomas packs his bags for Bangkok to clear his head, exercise, and handle the heavy backend web updates for the hotel. When he flies back into Portugal, his luggage is completely stuffed with an entire year’s supply of specialized Asian cat goodies. If you see Chimmi or Rocco acting like absolute junkies in the garden, blame the Thai snacks.
