To celebrate the first InterContinental hotel opening in Portugal, over the next month 350 bottles of port and more than a ton of sardines will be delivered to InterContinental hotels around the world. To mark the hotel opening, the InterContinental Tashkent will be kicking off the festivities with a Portuguese inspired celebration in their hotel.

Port takes its name from Porto where it’s produced and sardines play an important role in Portuguese culture. On 13 June, St Anthony’s Day, grilled sardines are served at the country’s biggest festival.

InterContinental Tashkent guests will enjoy a flavour of Portugal to mark the InterContinental Porto Palácio das Cardosas opening its doors later in June. Guests will sample an exclusive port and sardines in the Allegro Restaurant from 30 May to 18 June between. Over the coming weeks, guests other InterContinental hotels will be also enjoy traditional Portuguese fare as part of the global celebrations.

Sacha Jurva, general manager, InterContinental Tashkent, said: “At our 171 InterContinental hotels around the world, we draw on our local knowledge and expertise to give our guests ‘In the Know’ experiences. We wanted to bring a local Portuguese tradition to guests at our hotels around the world as we mark the opening of our first InterContinental hotel in Portugal.”

The InterContinental Porto Palácio das Cardosas will be the first upscale hotel 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. The InterContinental Porto Palácio das Cardosas is a project developed by the prestigious interior designer Alex Kravetz.

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.