W Algarve — Hotel in Albufeira

My experience as both a hotel guest and spa member was far from five-star, despite the hotel’s beautiful rooms and views. I encountered serious health hazards, such as parasitic worms and unsanitary conditions. These issues, along with abusive staff behavior, were ignored by management, particularly a woman who is the Director of Rooms and the also the GM.

First, the spa’s hygiene was appalling. I found small parasitic worms on the sauna floors and mold in the area. Despite reporting this multiple times, nothing was done. The hot tub was frequently broken and often filled with residue, while the steam room was always out of order. These conditions are unacceptable at any hotel, let alone a five-star establishment. Numerous guests complained, but no action was taken.

The most disturbing aspect of my experience was the behavior of an Italian man who was an employee, who restocked towels at the spa. While I was in the hot tub, he began shouting at me and another guest, gesturing aggressively as if to imply we were talking about him. His behavior was erratic and unsettling, and while we were unsure of how to react, we initially let it slide, assuming he might be a special needs employee.

On a later date, while I was drying off, the man once again began shouting and raising his hands aggressively. I immediately reported this to the front desk, expecting the matter to be handled, especially since the incident occurred in view of a camera. Instead, he confronted me and challenged me to a physical altercation, asking to meet me outside after his shift. In disbelief, I demanded to speak with the general manager.

The "Director of Rooms," promised an internal investigation and assured us she would follow up, but no such follow-up occurred. The man continued working, and "The Director of Rooms" became unreachable, ignoring our calls. We were merely offered massage vouchers and robes, which did nothing to address the situation.

Another issue arose when my spa sandals went missing. I asked him for a replacement, which he rudely refused. Later, I found him going through my locker and handling my personal belongings, claiming he had been instructed to change the locker. I reported this intrusion to "The Director of Rooms" but no action was taken.

He also repeatedly entered the women's changing room while my girlfriend and other female guests were undressing. Despite reporting this highly inappropriate behavior, management failed to act.

It became clear that the man was being protected due to personal connections within the hotel, including his relationship with an HR employee and his apparent ties to The Director of Rooms. This explained why every complaint was ignored. I escalated the matter to General Manager, whose response was dismissive, and no meaningful action followed.

The final incident occurred in the parking lot, where this employee gave my girlfriend an uncomfortable, prolonged stare. When I looked at him, he responded by raising his middle finger at us. Despite reporting this to the hotel, they claimed there was no evidence from security cameras. Instead of addressing the issue, they offered more massage vouchers for such troubling behavior.

It is mind boggling that this man, despite his abusive behavior, remains employed, and management's inaction raises serious doubts about the hotel's standards.

Another issue involved the drinking water, which tasted strongly of chlorine. This concern was also ignored by The Director of Rooms, no follow up as done.

The hotel’s management, frankly, is a nightmare. Health hazards such as parasites, mold, and unsanitary spa conditions, combined with abusive staff behavior, leave me genuinely worried for future guests. Offering vouchers instead of addressing these critical problems is far from a solution. I strongly advise against booking a stay or investing in their residences.

The Director of Rooms and the GM have demonstrated a blatant disregard for guest welfare and service standards, making it clear that a complete overhaul of the management team is...

Firstly this hotel is above amazing, from the design of the hotel to the small details the staff leave you in the room all make this what you expect. One thing that very much stood out for us at this hotel is that the staff were amazing, without the staff being as friendly as they were this experience would be so much different. Specifically the valet staff were great. They are the face of the hotel as you enter and exit and they didn't fail to represent. Always polite and great for a quick convo when dropping or picking the car up. No task for them was too big or small and not one bad experience with them. The room here is probably the best I've ever stayed in and never had one like it. From the innovation to gracious space its very much was a luxurious experience and the few times we used the whenever/whenever team were good experience. The pool was great and not too cold for this time of year and the drinks were very nice along with the food. The staff throughout our stay were very welcoming to whatever we needed and made us feel at home. Facilitates as you would expect were all good and very tidy hotel. We were also granted late checkout which was brilliant and very useful.||Now for the not so good bit. We requested on the Marriot app to have a high floor room and unfortunately did not receive this. This would not be an issue as its not guaranteed, however the hotel was very, very empty so as a loyal Marriot member this did lead to us feeling a little disappointed at the start of our stay. This leads onto the second point which was the hotel was extremely quiet, meaning it was hard to have a drink at the bar at evening when its just yourself, one other person and a DJ. It almost felt awkward being there. Again this leads onto the third point which was the drink prices for alcohol. $16.50 for a pina colada and $9.90 for a smoothie! This is ridiculous and the audacity of the hotel to add a 10% gratuity on the bill, the hotel should be using the regular drink price to tip there staff or build it into the regular price. I think most people would agree with me that tipping these staff is defiantly worth it and they work hard, however the drink prices are already extortionate and a hotel brand like the W should be paying them well already. The jacuzzi area of the pool also had certain areas not working (i.e massagers were not working). Around the pool there were kids jumping from the ledges which did kind of ruin the atmosphere as there is a clear sign telling them not to it and the pool staff watching them. I did actually see at points guests telling them to stop running around and jumping over the ledges. Last but not least on a personal experience, the day we checked out the power went in our room. We could not open the curtains, hall and main lights did not work. My father actually got a shock as we think a fuse went out when plugging the kettle in. We told this all to the whatever/whenever team and they quickly sent an engineer to sort the problem and was sorted before we came back from breakfast. However upon returning to the room we found our safe battery died on us, just as we were about to leave. We do realise this is more of a one of things which is why it did not impact our view of the hotel as these things happen, and it did for us on the prob worst day possible lol. ||After all I would come again but only for a small trip as it can be out the way from activity's and long-term staying here I guess that can be annoying. I cannot emphases enough the great staff in this hotel and they did...

Misplaced & misbranded - just give it a miss

Be weary of paid reviewers, bots and earlier reviews posted prior to opening.

We were very excited to try out the new W Algarve as part of a two week Portuguese holiday. Unfortunately it has been very disappointing - nothing WoW about it. We tried to be understanding as they opened two months ago, and to look through the initial snags. But the problems run much deeper. Basically it is an average ALoft or Moxy standard experienced dressed up as a W... Not worth the effort or the cost. Real bummer.

The positives: The room: really well appointed, spacious and comfortable. Well designed and good quality - thank goodness! Some of the staff: for example, Susanna at breakfast, who did her best with a smile despite being overworked and overwhelmed The spa area looks nice (but it backs onto the main road with an open brick wall)

The issues - there are many, starting with the biggies: Location: Basically a wanna be 5-star property in an average minus (2/3-star) area. There is really nothing special about the location - it is shockingly ordinary, bland and flat... ugly even. W-hotels brand and pride themselves as delivering WoW experiences... and most that we've been to do. Here you are surrounded by bland characterless soulless vacation houses - literally meters away. Restaurant options: Hmm, the hotel has one Italian restaurant with 40 covers, and there is the general restaurant which also serves breakfast - and room service of course. That's it for 130 rooms and 80 residences. So if you don't want to have breakfast and dinner in the same place or your room there is effectively one option - the Italian - and they can't always seat you. And gets boring after day 2. Worse, there are very few options around the hotel - definitely nothing above average. Concierge has been unable to secure reservations with two days' notice at decent restaurants in a 20km radius. Not so whatever-whenever. Service: Full disclosure, we have Platinum Elite status with Bonvoy/Marriott - so travel often and are used to good service. For a new hotel, trying to build it's reputation, service has been woeful. No response to requests, unless you ask multiple times. Examples: have room cleaned - wait 5 hours. Dinner reservations - none. Mini bar - does not get restocked. Bedsheets - not changed in 5 nights despite multiple requests. Views: None from most of the rooms, other than the pool (see above). A partial view of the very distant ocean from some 3rd floor and 4th floor rooms (highest). A view of the rubbish dump from many of the residences; the other ones face an ugly pool or ugly vacation homes. Security: bit worrying. Anyone could walk off the street onto the property and to your bedroom door without being stopped or without a key card. Beach & Pool: This is not a beach hotel! The tiny unattractive beach is a 10min uninspiring walk from the hotel. We did the walk once. No desire to spend time on that beach. So that leaves the pool. It is nice enough, but rammed with loungers and there is non-existent service. Music is too loud and there are children everywhere. So if you don't want a loud, rammed, self-service experience, you are out of luck. Music: generally too loud and everywhere and until late at night. No quiet pool option or kids club for the little ones. Gym: too small for this resort. Convenience store: none, and no shop for miles around. Business...