Web Summit 2025: New Pavilion, Rising Hotel Prices, and High Expectations

Lisbon, Nov. 10, 2025 (Lusa) – This year’s edition of the Web Summit will feature a redesigned pavilion 5, including stages and space for investors, according to the organisation, while its chief executive criticised the rise in hotel prices in Lisbon.

What is considered the biggest technology summit kicks off today in Lisbon, spanning 250,000 square metres, including outdoor space.

One of the new features is Pavilion 5, which has been redesigned to include stages, VIP rooms and space for investors.

According to the organisation, “the venue now has more areas for meetings, access to the Food Summit and a networking garden”, and the entrance has been widened to make it easier for people to get there.

“This year, we have designed and built a completely new Pavilion 5 for the Web Summit. It’s a huge indoor space dedicated to networking, with an incredible outdoor garden also dedicated to this activity,” said the summit’s CEO, Paddy Cosgrave, on the social network X.

A few minutes ago, Paddy Cosgrav reported that the CEO and founder of Lovable, Anton Osika, the legendary tennis player Maria Sharapova and the influencer and content creator Hkaby Lame “landed safely in Lisbon (not Spain) ahead of today’s Opening Night”.

In this message, Paddy Cosgrave alludes to news that the lack of private-jet slots in Lisbon was diverting flights to Spain.

Over the weekend, the CEO of the Web Summit criticised the high hotel prices.

In fact, Lusa reported on Sunday that the Web Summit is once again boosting the hotel sector in Lisbon, with good occupancy rates at high prices, but with demand concentrated only on the event days, which run from Monday to Thursday.

On Saturday, Paddy Cosgrave pointed out that during the summit, “some hotels in Lisbon increased their prices by more than 100% compared to the previous week”.

With demand for 4-star hotels in the city centre at over 90% – 98% occupancy, according to Booking.com data, “I would say that these exorbitant increases are understandable and reasonable”.

“But when certain hotels increase their prices by more than 300%, and sometimes 500%, compared to normal November rates, and then publicly complain about guests using Airbnb, it’s hard to have sympathy,” criticised Cosgrave, co-founder of the Web Summit.

“Some Lisbon hotels have become inaccessible to the market because of the prices, and now they blame Airbnb for the lack of demand. These hotels only have themselves to blame. But even these hotels’ claims don’t make sense,” he continued on the X network.

For example, “the price per night for a room the week after the Web Summit in this lovely 4-star hotel is around €130, but during the week of the Web Summit, the price is over €700. This represents inflation of around 570%. There are many other examples,” emphasises the CEO, who says he has “no sympathy for hotels that act like this and still complain”.

“I consider any attempt by hotels or hotel associations to distract people or confuse journalists from the reality that there is a real problem of abusive prices by SOME hotels in Lisbon to be bollocks. The data is clear. Most Lisbon hotels are excellent! The majority of Lisbon’s hotels are doing very well, according to Booking.com data. But there are always SOME who allow themselves to be blinded by greed and dare to keep complaining,” said the entrepreneur.

The technology summit kicks off today with the customary “Opening Night”, which, among others, will be attended by Paddy Cosgrave, the Deputy Minister for State Reform, Gonçalo Matias, and the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas.

This year’s edition, which runs until 13 November, expects more than 70,000 participants, over 2,500 start-ups exhibiting their products and services and more than 1,000 investors.

The Web Summit kicked off in Lisbon in 2016 and is to continue until 2028.

ALU/ADB // ADB.

Lusa

Web Summit 2025 Kicks Off in Lisbon Amid Controversy Over Hotel Prices

Lisbon, Nov. 10, 2025 (Lusa) — The much-anticipated Web Summit, heralded as the largest technology summit in the world, officially opens today in Lisbon, showcasing a revamped Pavilion 5 designed to enhance networking and investor engagement. Spanning an impressive 250,000 square meters, the summit promises to be a hub of innovation and collaboration.

This year’s highlight, Pavilion 5, has undergone a significant redesign, featuring multiple stages, VIP rooms, and dedicated spaces for investors. According to the summit’s CEO, Paddy Cosgrave, the new layout includes expanded meeting areas, access to the Food Summit, and a networking garden, all aimed at fostering connections among attendees. “We’ve created a huge indoor space dedicated to networking, complemented by an incredible outdoor garden,” Cosgrave shared on social media platform X.

As the summit gears up for its Opening Night, which will see notable figures like tennis legend Maria Sharapova and influencer Khaby Lame in attendance, Cosgrave took to social media to address a pressing issue: the soaring hotel prices in Lisbon. Over the weekend, he criticized local hotels for hiking prices during the summit, with some establishments reportedly increasing rates by over 300% compared to normal November rates.

“During the summit, some hotels in Lisbon increased their prices by more than 100% compared to the previous week,” Cosgrave noted. He pointed out that while demand for 4-star hotels in the city center is high, with occupancy rates nearing 98%, the exorbitant price hikes are unjustifiable. “The price per night for a room the week after the Web Summit in a lovely 4-star hotel is around €130, but during the summit, it skyrockets to over €700. This represents inflation of around 570%,” he emphasized.

Cosgrave’s remarks come as the Web Summit continues to bolster the local hotel sector, with occupancy rates soaring during the event days from November 10 to 13. However, he expressed little sympathy for hotels that blame platforms like Airbnb for their struggles, stating, “These hotels only have themselves to blame.”

The summit, which began in Lisbon in 2016 and is set to continue until 2028, expects to attract over 70,000 participants this year, including more than 2,500 startups and over 1,000 investors. The event is not only a showcase for technological advancements but also a critical platform for networking and investment opportunities.

As the Opening Night unfolds, with dignitaries such as Deputy Minister for State Reform Gonçalo Matias and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas in attendance, the spotlight remains on both the innovations presented and the ongoing debate surrounding the local hospitality industry.

With the Web Summit now in full swing, all eyes will be on how the event unfolds amid the backdrop of rising costs and the vibrant tech community that Lisbon has come to represent.