Hair and makeup in your room at InterContinental Lisbon

Rua Castilho runs along the west side of Parque Eduardo VII, just above Marquês de Pombal. It is the business and embassy end of central Lisbon rather than the tourist end: quiet at night, well connected by road, and a straightforward taxi ride from the airport.

For an appointment that means two things. Getting to you is easy at any hour, and getting away afterwards is easy too. If your evening is a corporate dinner, a gala at one of the Avenida hotels or a flight out, this is one of the better addresses in the city to be ready in.

The appointment happens in your room and needs almost nothing from it: a plug, an upright chair rather than an armchair, and a metre of space beside a window or a lamp. The artist brings a full kit, her own hot tools and her own mirror light, so a room lit for the evening rather than for foundation at ten in the morning is not a problem.

A desk or a dressing table helps and is not required. Nothing is fixed to the walls and the room is left as it was found. If two or three of you are getting ready together, say so when you book, because at that point the size of the room matters more than the schedule does.

We work backwards from the hour you need to be ready, not forwards from an arrival time. As a planning figure, a blow-dry is about 45 minutes, makeup about 45 minutes, and hair and makeup together for one person about 90 minutes to two hours depending on the style. An updo takes longer than a blow-dry.

The airport run from Rua Castilho is usually 15 to 25 minutes outside peak hours, which is short by Lisbon standards. Avenida da Liberdade is downhill and walkable; Chiado and Baixa are a short taxi ride.

Hair goes first and makeup second, so hot tools and hairspray never go near a finished face.

The artist arrives on foot with a case. There is no equipment that needs a service lift and nothing that needs to be wheeled through a lobby. In most hotels that means nobody needs to be told anything in advance.

It is still worth a word at reception if the appointment is early in the morning or if you would rather not answer the door yourself, because some properties ask that visitors be announced. Tell us the room number when the booking is confirmed and we will keep the arrival quiet.