Prior Velho Hotels with Airport pickup service

It's our last day here. Hence, I am writing the review now( I usually wait until the end). We only came to Lisbon for a city break, to visit this beautiful city . Hotel staff is friendly, our room was spotless, I really can't fault them. We've a balcony as well, but since we've been visiting a lot, we haven't spent too much time here. Yes, there is this sad, abandoned building across, but who cares really? If I wanted a sea view, I would've booked a hotel by the sea. The room was warm during the night, and the housekeeping came every day to tidy it. We were 100% pleased with this stay. There was no noise during the night to be fair. Or we were so tired and slept like babies?!

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.

The hotel is very close to the airport. However they do not offer a shuttle. I took Uber there and back to airport which costed me about 5-7 euros. The room is not very big but comfy. The cleanliness can be improved a little bit. The breakfast selection is mostly sweet bakery. There are not many savory options. The staffs are friendly but they don’t speak much. Overall I would stay here again for an overnight layover just for the price.

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.