Holiday Inn Lisbon - Continental by IHG — Hotel in Lisbon

I recently had the misfortune of staying at this hotel, and to say that my experience was disappointing would be an understatement. From the moment we arrived until the time we checked out, the entire stay was marred by a series of unfortunate events that left me feeling frustrated and dissatisfied, at least for the most part.

We arrived just past midnight and had been arranged rooms with supplementary room service / food services (paid) by a third party, as we did not have the possibility to have dinner yet. However, upon inquiry, the front desk staff told us that (understandably) the restaurant was closed, but also - even though room service was still available - they could not provide us food due to the size of our group (i.e. 5 people). No alternatives or further explanation was given. Given the time and the lack of energy so late, we decided to seek for something in the vicinity of the accommodation instead. We were under the impression that the aforementioned arrangement could be used the day after.

The next morning during check-out at the front desk, we were told in a absurdly cold manner by one that goes by the name of 'Irina' that there was no such arrangement to be found nor could it be used. She ignored my remark about the missing hairdryer in one of the bathrooms in its entirety. In response to our kind reminder of the stipulation confirming the existence and applicability hereof in the hotel booking, she merely replied (read: shouted), clearly irritated: 'SHOW ME', but not after rolling her eyes first. Excuse me? This attitude was and is still mind-boggling to me. After she was proven wrong with a lot of effort, she then said that it was too late to make use of any food services, since they had to be requested for the day before, at arrival. Confused, we elaborated that her colleagues at the desk communicated to us explicitly that this was not a possibility. Her response? 'WHAT. WHO SAID THAT? TELL ME HIS NAME. WHO WAS IT.' In front of our eyes, it was far from discrete when she talked bad about us in Portuguese with the person next to her, completely aware that I was still standing there.

After the intervention of one of her colleagues, we were offered lunch instead. However, since our time was wasted immensely as a result of this incident, we were merely able take the food with us in order to catch our flight. To add insult to injury, this Irina was swift to interrupt and claimed that the hotel would not provide to-go cutlery or any containers/bags, the reason being that it did not have them. Fortunately and in stark contrast to Irina's outrageously rude behaviour, the restaurant manager and staff (with the exception of an old lady, my guess is that she is the cook) were extremely understanding, sympathetic and patient, offering us containers, bags and cutlery. The fact that we were told that these items were not available in the first place still baffles me.

From her inappropriate intonation, her immediate assumption that we were in the wrong, to her going out of her way to not accommodate, it is evident that Irina lacks proper hospitality training and is not equipped to handle such unforeseen situations. She seems indifferent to guest needs and lacks the professionalism one would expect from a reputable hotel.

All in all, were it not for the restaurant manager and his staff, one star would be the general verdict. I will think twice when considering Holiday Inn for a business trip...

At Holiday Inn Continental, I was a customer on August 4-11, 2022. I had read some good reviews of you before. I have experience in the tourism and hotels, have been to various hotels and am negatively surprised. There is bad restaurant-reception communication and unclear rules (no one could explain clearly and they were not consistent). Customers bought a week-long stay with breakfast and dinner - on the first day, the receptionist said that you will have to come to the reception desk every day for a dinner voucher. Two days later, the receptionist says that we don't need vouchers, so we go to the restaurant without them (because they already know us). Another day - a restaurant employee asks for a voucher, because he will not let it in. Unclear rules - why do you need paper cards at all, and if they are really necessary, can't you give the client right after checking in for all days of stay?

Breakfast package - we asked on the last day at 5.30 as early flight in the morning. We asked them not to give drinks, just more fruit (because of limits at the airports). What did we get? 0.5 liters of water, one apple and one cup of fruit (one person a different fruit, the other person a different fruit). Why does the receptionist offer apples and oranges, if we still get grapes and a drink that must be left because we will not drink and bring us on the plane? Fruit in cups - grapes and in the other cup a melon - rotting, spoiled since the evening - if I ate it, it would be a threat to health or life. Is it a standard for a 4-star hotel to have a spoiled melon with breakfast and no rolls, no bread, no ham or cheese?

Another thing - the smell in the rooms. The pipe from the sink (siphon) is amateurishly attached and collects water that rots and stinks (we did not know what the cause was and did not report it beforehand). Room cleaning - cleaning staff do not mop the floor (drink stain same week, easy to clean). In the corridors, dust on the shelves near the elevators. One elevator is out of service for several days. Waiters in the restaurant - sometimes they run and pour water, sometimes they ignore it. As there are few customers, they take the plates away before the customer eats - they put unnecessary and uncomfortable pressure on watching you eat. An older man in a restaurant - explains to some customers what is in the buffet, to others not (after all, just say the buffet and take whatever you want). Only the receptionists know English, hardly anyone in the restaurant.

Are your 4 stars for adding water in the hotel restaurant or for standing in long lines at the reception to get a dinner voucher? (the employee told me to stand in the queue for the voucher, the other employee did not write these cards at...

unfortunately my experience was far from satisfactory. I believe that sharing my honest feedback can help the hotel improve its services and ensure that other guests have a better experience in the future.

Upon check-in I was surprised to find that despite my reservation being prepaid and the amount already pre-authorized on my credit card I was asked to pay again. This caused unnecessary confusion and inconvenience at the very start of my stay.

And since my charging cable broke during the trip I asked if I could borrow one but they said they didn’t have any. I was surprised that there are hotels without it.

I booked a plan that included dinner. However unlike other guests I was not given the necessary voucher to present at the restaurant. This led to an embarrassing situation where I had to explain my dining plan to the restaurant staff who were understandably confused. I felt singled out and it was quite uncomfortable.

The dinner itself was unfortunately disappointing. I had high expectations given the hotel’s four-star rating. The roasted pork was tough and lacked flavor while the fish tasted bland and did not showcase the freshness one would expect in Portugal known for its exceptional seafood. When asked if I was enjoying the meal I wanted to answer honestly but felt uncomfortable doing so. This experience left me feeling that the quality did not match the standards expected from a hotel of this caliber.

After such an underwhelming dinner I decided to cancel my breakfast for the following morning. I attempted to contact the front desk several times using the room phone but was unable to get through. This was quite frustrating and forced me to walk down to the reception in person. I requested a cancellation and a refund for the breakfast which was eventually processed but it took much longer than expected. This took up valuable time during my trip which could have been spent more enjoyably.

And then, I wanted to take a bath in the bathtub but the water never stayed. Even though I made sure the plug was secure.

I wouldn’t have written all these complaints if they had just greeted me warmly at the front...