The Lince Santa Clara Historic Hotel, Grupo Arliz’s five-star hotel housed in the former Santa Clara Convent in Vila do Conde, has become one of Portugal’s most remarkable examples of heritage rehabilitation, following the project developed by architecture practice Carvalho Araújo. The intervention, which combines the building’s historic heritage with a contemporary architectural approach, has received widespread recognition both nationally and internationally, leading the hotel to win three of the country’s most prestigious architecture awards and to be nominated for major European distinctions.

Among the awards received is the 2025 National Urban Rehabilitation Award, presented by AICCOPN in the Best Tourist Use Intervention category, recognising the excellence of the former convent’s restoration and its revitalisation as part of the REVIVE programme. The project was also a winner at the 2025 National Real Estate Awards, organised by Magazine Imobiliário, where it received the award in the Tourism category, as well as the prestigious title of Best Development of the Year, highlighting the hotel’s architectural, tourism and economic impact on the city of Vila do Conde. These distinctions were joined by the Interior Architecture – Tourism and Rehabilitation and Construction – Tourism awards, received at the 7th edition of the Expresso/SIC Notícias Real Estate Awards, further establishing The Lince Santa Clara as a national benchmark in the regeneration of historic buildings.

In recent months, the hotel has also received two Michelin Keys and one Michelin Star – awarded to its Oculto restaurant – and has been nominated for the 2026 Mies van der Rohe Award (European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – EUmies Awards), one of the most important distinctions in European architecture, further strengthening the building’s international profile.

Taken together, these distinctions confirm the significance of The Lince Santa Clara as a heritage rehabilitation project and demonstrate its ability to reconcile the preservation of the building’s historic identity with a contemporary vision of architecture and hospitality. The recognition also reflects Grupo Arliz’s ambition to develop landmark projects grounded in the rigour of each intervention, the appreciation of heritage and the excellence of the experiences they deliver.