Eiffage Immobilier Launches Its First-Ever Hotel in Porto
Eiffage Immobilier, a major player in the European real estate and construction industry, has proudly inaugurated its very first hotel development in Portugal — a significant milestone that underscores the company’s growing footprint beyond France and into key Southern European markets. Located in the dynamic and rapidly transforming Boavista business district of Porto, the newly opened B&B Madalena Hotel is not only a hospitality venture but also a symbol of urban renewal and sustainable development.
A New Chapter in Porto’s Urban Landscape
The B&B Madalena Hotel sits on a site that was once home to a derelict, crumbling building — a visual and structural remnant of a past era. Through the vision and expertise of Eiffage Immobilier in Portugal, this once-blighted parcel of land has been completely reimagined. The project exemplifies urban regeneration, bringing renewed energy and functionality to the heart of Porto’s city center.
The hotel is located in Boavista, one of Porto’s most vibrant business districts, known for its blend of commercial activity, cultural offerings, and architectural diversity. This strategic location offers guests convenient access to major transport hubs, iconic landmarks, and a rich tapestry of urban experiences. By choosing this neighborhood, Eiffage Immobilier underscores its commitment to integrating modern infrastructure into thriving cityscapes while preserving and enhancing local character.
Architectural Vision: A Fusion of Function and Form
The project was developed with careful consideration of the surrounding urban fabric. The architectural design, conceived by the French-Portuguese architecture and urban planning firm CoBe, demonstrates an acute sensitivity to both form and context. Rather than dominating the landscape, the B&B Madalena Hotel was envisioned to blend harmoniously with its surroundings.
The hotel spans over 5,100 square meters and consists of two main structures — one with 10 floors, the other with 5 floors — elegantly connected by suspended footbridges. This dual-building concept allows for efficient spatial organization while offering visual dynamism to the overall complex. The buildings’ lines and materials were chosen to complement neighboring structures, fostering architectural continuity in the area.
Adding a green touch to the development, Eiffage collaborated with Cirurgias Urbanas, a respected urban landscaping collective. Their contributions focused on enhancing the public realm around the hotel, introducing inviting pedestrian pathways, greenery, and open spaces that improve the urban experience for residents and visitors alike.
Inside the B&B Madalena Hotel: Comfort, Efficiency, and Sustainability
Now operated under the B&B Hôtels brand and leased by Covivio, one of Europe’s leading real estate investors, the 3-star hotel offers a comfortable and functional setting tailored to both business and leisure travelers. The property houses 176 rooms, each designed to meet the brand’s standard of practicality, efficiency, and affordability without compromising on comfort.
Guests are welcomed into a modern environment that reflects contemporary design sensibilities — open, light-filled spaces with high-quality finishes. Despite its budget-friendly status, the B&B Madalena Hotel provides many of the amenities expected by today’s discerning travelers, including high-speed internet, modern en-suite bathrooms, and sustainable design features that reduce the environmental footprint of their stay.
A Model of Sustainability in Urban Hospitality
Sustainability was a central pillar of this project from its inception. The hotel earned BREEAM “Very Good” environmental certification — an internationally recognized standard that assesses the environmental performance of buildings.
To meet this ambitious benchmark, Eiffage implemented several forward-thinking solutions throughout the development process. One notable innovation was the use of an external thermal insulation system, which significantly improves the building’s energy efficiency by reducing heat loss and enhancing indoor comfort. This approach aligns with Eiffage’s wider goals to develop energy-efficient and low-carbon buildings across its European portfolio.
Another standout feature was the use of prefabricated bathrooms, manufactured off-site by Blue Fab, a subsidiary of the Portuguese Casais Group. These modular units were produced in a controlled factory environment, ensuring quality control while minimizing on-site construction waste and installation time. Prefabrication is increasingly seen as a smart solution to modern construction challenges, particularly in urban settings where space and time are often limited.
Strategic Partnerships: From Construction to Operation
The success of the B&B Madalena Hotel also lies in the strategic collaboration between multiple key players. After completing the development, Eiffage Immobilier transferred ownership of the hotel to Covivio, an institutional investor with a strong track record in European real estate, particularly in the hotel and commercial property sectors. Covivio’s decision to acquire and lease the property to B&B Hôtels reflects confidence in both the project’s long-term value and the growing appeal of the Portuguese hospitality market.
B&B Hôtels, the operating brand, is a rapidly expanding European hotel chain that emphasizes cost-effective, quality lodging options for travelers. Their presence in Porto, through this new hotel, enhances the city’s appeal to budget-conscious tourists and business visitors while reinforcing the chain’s reputation as a reliable and accessible accommodation provider across Europe.
Eiffage Immobilier’s First Hotel in Portugal: A Broader Strategic Move
For Eiffage Immobilier, the successful delivery of the B&B Madalena Hotel marks a new chapter in its international growth. While the company has long been recognized for its real estate, infrastructure, and civil engineering projects throughout France and other European countries, this hotel is the first hospitality project developed by Eiffage Immobilier on Portuguese soil.
This move highlights the company’s growing ambition to expand its real estate development portfolio in the Iberian Peninsula, especially in high-potential markets such as Portugal, where urban revitalization and tourism growth are creating attractive opportunities for investment.
The Porto hotel project serves not only as a standalone success but as a benchmark for future ventures. By demonstrating that complex, sustainability-oriented projects can be executed with architectural finesse and commercial viability, Eiffage has laid a strong foundation for further endeavors in Portugal and beyond.
The inauguration of the B&B Madalena Hotel is more than just the launch of a new lodging option in Porto — it represents a successful convergence of architecture, sustainability, urban renewal, and strategic collaboration. Eiffage Immobilier’s first foray into the Portuguese hospitality sector has delivered a project that resonates with the company’s values of innovation, environmental responsibility, and urban integration.
As Porto continues to attract international attention for its charm, culture, and economic dynamism, projects like this not only elevate the city’s infrastructure but also redefine what modern, responsible development can look like in one of Europe’s most promising markets. With the B&B Madalena Hotel, Eiffage Immobilier has established a strong and symbolic presence in Portugal, one that may well signal the beginning of many more projects to come.
