Intercontinental London celebrates Portugal opening

The InterContinental London Park Lane will crack open one of the world's most expensive bottles of port, worth over £2,500, to mark the opening of InterContinental Porto-Palacio das Cardosas on 14 July.

The hotel will be selling the rare Taylor's Scion 1855 vintage port, which comes from one of the oldest producers in Portugal, for £100 a glass.

Port takes its name from the region of Porto, Portugal, where the production and export of the fortified wine originated. The port has been in the cellar at InterContinental London Park Lane since the hotel opened and will only be available to guests in The Arch Bar until the last glass has gone.

Alvaro Rey, general manager, InterContinental London Park Lane said: "At our 171 InterContinental hotels around the world, we draw on our local knowledge and expertise to help our guests get under the skin of the place they're in. At InterContinental London Park Lane, we wanted to bring a flavour of Portugal to our guests to mark the opening of the first InterContinental hotel in Portugal. We've been keeping this bottle in the cellar for a special occasion and this seems like the perfect opportunity to open it."

The InterContinental Porto-Palacio das Cardosas will be the first international luxury hotel in the historical city centre in Porto. In the heart of Porto and within the boundaries of the UNESCO world heritage site, the hotel is 15 minutes drive from the international airport and in walking distance of Bairro de Barredo, an area brimming with cathedrals, markets, museums, bars and restaurants. It's also close to the Douro River where people can board a boat to Salamanca in Spain and visit the wine producing caves.

Set in the city's main square, the 105 bedroom and 16 suite hotel, is a renovated 250 year old palace. Guests can start their day the Porto way with coffee and local pastries at the Café Astoria, modelled on the original Café Astoria on the ground floor of the building in the early twentieth century when the building was a palace. The hotel also has a fine dining restaurant serving traditional Portuguese food and a bar on the front façade which overlooks Liberdade Square.

There are 171 InterContinental hotels around the world and 60 in the development pipeline, which will open in the next two to three years.

For more information, visit: intercontinental.com