The Hotel

What The Hotel does

The Hotel is a small independent boutique creative agency headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, operating under the legal entity HTL - Publicidade e Comunicação Lda. (NIPC 510564968) at Rua António Maria Cardoso, 26, 1200-027 Lisboa. Founded in 2013, the firm develops integrated advertising, branding, design, editorial, and digital campaign concepts for consumer brands, positioning itself as a 'pequena boutique criativa e independente' that delivers creative work validated against measurable commercial outcomes.

The agency's service portfolio spans five core offerings: creative advertising campaigns (digital and traditional), branding and identity development, product design (including packaging), editorial and publication work, and effectiveness-driven advertising — the latter being a distinct capability evidenced by repeated Prémios Eficácia submissions and wins from 2020 through 2022. Its underlying production model is human creative labor rather than proprietary technology; the firm uses a recurring narrative device — a fictional hotel where brands arrive as guests and the agency acts as concierge — to frame its work in case studies published on its portfolio website. There is no disclosed software platform, AI tooling, or technology IP.

The Hotel operates on a B2B professional services revenue model, generating project- and retainer-based fees from enterprise consumer-brand clients. Documented clients include El Corte Inglés, IKEA, PRIO, MOEY!, Drambuie, Garnier, GULOSO, and OPHIUSSA across retail, home furnishings, energy, fintech, spirits, beauty, and food/CPG verticals. Go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, with the website portfolio functioning as the primary demand-generation channel and award submissions serving as earned-media credibility signals. Headcount sits in the 11–50 band; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Hotel

Legal name

HTL - Publicidade e Comunicação Lda.

Website

https://thehotel.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hotel is a Lisbon-based independent boutique creative agency developing integrated advertising, branding, design, and effectiveness campaigns for enterprise consumer brands across retail, energy, fintech, spirits, beauty, and food sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Branding Services: The agency generates revenue through creative advertising campaigns and branding projects for client brands. Services include integrated campaigns (digital advertising, editorial, design), effectiveness case studies, and brand development work. Revenue appears project-based or retainer-based typical of creative agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Hotel is a boutique creative advertising agency that develops integrated advertising campaigns, brand identity and branding work, product/packaging design, editorial publications, and effectiveness-driven marketing for consumer brands. It operates under a distinctive "hotel/concierge" creative metaphor where each brand brief is treated as a guest needing tailored creative ideas.

Product overview

The Hotel is a small independent creative boutique agency (HTL - Publicidade e Comunicação Lda.) based in Lisbon, Portugal. Rather than a unified software platform, the company offers a portfolio of creative services including integrated advertising campaigns, branding, product design, editorial work, and effectiveness-focused campaigns. The agency's work spans multiple client sectors including retail (El Corte Inglés), spirits (Drambuie), beauty (Garnier), energy (PRIO), furniture (IKEA), fintech (moey!), food (Guloso), and branding (Ophiussa). Their distinctive creative approach uses a narrative device of a fictional 'hotel' where brand characters arrive as guests, with the agency providing concierge-style creative solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Advertising Services
• Branding
• Product Design
• Editorial
• Advertising Effectiveness

Quantifiable outcome

• PRIO campaign gave the brand its best month in company history (sales)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• NOSSA (Lisbon): Lisbon-based independent creative agency operating in the Portuguese market with a similar boutique ethos and enterprise brand focus. Directly comparable in target customer and creative service model.
• BAR Ogilvy: One of Portugal's most awarded creative agencies, headquartered in Lisbon. Directly comparable as a Lisbon-based independent-rooted creative boutique serving enterprise consumer brands with integrated campaigns and effectiveness-led work.
• Anomaly: Globally recognized independent creative agency with a boutique-like operating model serving major consumer brands. Comparable as a model for what a creatively distinct, founder-friendly independent agency can scale to across markets.
• Krypton (Portugal): Independent Portuguese creative agency with a similar boutique positioning serving consumer brands. Closely comparable in size, scope, and target client profile, making it a direct local competitor in the Lisbon creative market.

Broad incumbents

• BBDO Portugal: Portuguese affiliate of BBDO Worldwide (Omnicom), operating creative and integrated communications out of Lisbon. Direct competitor for enterprise creative mandates in the Portuguese market with global network support.
• McCann Lisbon: Portuguese operation of McCann Worldgroup (IPG), a global creative network. Competes for the same enterprise consumer-brand pitches in Portugal, offering similar integrated campaign services plus network-scale production and media buying.
• TBWA\Lisboa: Lisbon office of TBWA, the global creative network known for disruptive work. Comparable to The Hotel as a creative agency targeting enterprise brands in Portugal, though backed by global network resources and Disruption methodology.
• Havas Lisbon: Lisbon-based operation of Havas Creative Network, offering integrated creative services in Portugal. Comparable competitor for enterprise consumer-brand work with broader media and digital capabilities than a pure-play boutique.
• DDB Lisboa: Portuguese arm of the global DDB network (Omnicom), operating from Lisbon. Comparable because it competes for the same enterprise creative mandates in Portugal, but with greater scale, international reach, and integrated network resources.
• Publicis Lisbon: Portuguese office of global holding group Publicis, offering full-service creative and media solutions. Comparable as a competitor for enterprise brand work in Portugal, but with significantly broader capabilities and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thehotelpt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-thehotel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Hotel