Prior Velho Hotels with Bars

I regret choosing the Holiday Inn Express Airport Hotel. It seems to be the only Lisbon airport hotel that does not have a free shuttle to the nearby airport… you have to pay for your own taxi. Also, when I checked in, I specifically asked for a room with a bathtub, but, strangely, the desk clerk who checked me in neglected to tell me a very important detail. So I got my luggage upstairs, looking forward to soaking in a nice hot bath after a hard day of schlepping luggage around uphill on cobblestone streets in the heat. Once I got all my clothes off, I realized with horror that the bathtub plug was missing, so I could not, in fact, take a bath. I called the desk to report that I had no plug, and, instead of offering to bring one up to my room, they insisted that I come back downstairs to get a plug. So I had to get dressed all over again and go downstairs, only to find out that the hotel keeps all bathtub plugs behind the desk (without telling the guests that this is so case). Wouldn’t you think the clerk who checked me in would have thought to give me a plug at that time, when I requested a bathtub? Hot and tired, and with aching muscles, the getting dressed again for a compulsory trip downstairs was the last straw. And this claims to be a 3-star hotel. I don’t think so! Do your research and a hotel that provides a free shuttle to the airport… and a #%*^ bathtub plug!!! needs to re-think this.

Lovely and close to the airport, a late check-in, staff were delightful, she even came to my room to help me with the wndow, the handle was broken so it would not close properly. Toilet, seat was loose... Nice room, but a bit of road noise with open window. Breakfast was great and at €9.50 very reasonable, good selection and even a fresh orange squeezing machine. If you have an early morning flight, seriously consider this place. No stress about 10am checkout 👍

1 star to bring attention to the fact that the shuttle driver was 15 min late (earliest and first pick up of the morning, this is NOT a airport hotel despite its name) just enough to cause my mother to miss her flight from Lisbon to Zurich. I scheduled the shuttle pick up the previous afternoon after receiving assurance from the front desk that a 4 am pick for a 5:55 departure from Lisbon to Zurich would be adequate time to catch the flight (the airport is 2.4km away or 4 min drive ). Advertised to provide an “exceptional experience”, I relied on the recommendations of the front desk to schedule the shuttle pick up time, and I trusted the shuttle driver to arrive on time. When he didn’t, I became highly agitated as was the other guest waiting for the shuttle. I selected this hotel solely for its proximity to the airport and for their shuttle service, specifically to avoid disasters like a missed flight. They did not meet expectations and it cost us significantly. While the facilities were new, modern and functioning properly, and I would have rated the hotel five stars, minus 4 because the price to reissue a new boarding ticket was over 4x the price it cost for a night’s accommodation at the Ibis. I write this to inform other travelers and notify management for improvement.