InterContinental Lisbon — Hotel in Lisbon

In my recent trip to Lisbon, I stayed in the Intercontinental Lisbon Hotel. Located in the mid-levels, this property was originally under the ownership of Le Meridien from 1980s until it was sold to the IHG group in 2014. The property has undergone major refurbishment in the same year, and as you can see from this clip, it still exudes a bit of Le Meridien’s vibe, which is always slightly compact and dark. This is slightly different from the vibe that I experienced when I stayed in other Intercontinental hotels like the one at Dublin or Singapore, but I do need to give credit to the Intercontinental hotel for at least trying to inject its own identity.||That said, once you’ve seen the rooms of this hotel, it is actually very Intercontinental, which always exudes a certain kind of opulence typical among its hotels. By that I mean in a very subtle and elegant way. While no chandeliers or high ceilings would be expected in their properties (except maybe the one at Singapore), it has always created a sense of cosiness and elegance that is perfect for business travellers, as nothing beats a cosy sofa or a comfy king size bed after a red eye flight. ||For the bathroom, it is also very typical Intercontinental. It’s clean and well kept, except the fact that some of the tiles have a few cracks on them, which reminded me that Portugal was actually a seismically active country. Like its siblings, Byredo’s products were used as bathroom amenities, which is of course a top notch brand . The only catch was that it has no bathtub, so for those who prefer to have bubble bath, it would not possible.||For food, let’s start with breakfast. Again at €25, nothing shocking, just decent with a reasonable amount of choices. You can also order a la carte ones at no extra costs. One thing that I like the most is that during my whole stay, it was never too crowded, and staff has always been very attentive. However, I have to say if you have stayed in Intercontinental Dublin or London’s O2, you might be disappointed. Well that’s because the two properties had set a really high bar.||Fortunately its restaurants have redeemed itself. First, let’s visit the bar at ground floor. I have to say it’s not any typical bar that sometimnes intimidated people like me who do not drink, as the staff is really warm and friendly. You also won’t hear loud music or people talking loudly like the ones at W hotels. Not only have they got non alcoholic drinks like this mint and coriander lemonade, they also have snacks like this beautifully made club sandwiches and French fries. What better way to rejuvenate after a delayed flight than having such refreshing snacks? ||The Akla restaurant is another highlight of this hotel. First, let’s see this soup of the day, which has cabbage, bacon and grilled octopus. It is creamy and well cooked, as it has absorbed all the best taste of the ingredients like the fragrance of bacon, the grassiness of cabbage and ocean taste of octopus. ||For starters, I have this Mozambique Wild Shrimp Croquette. While in general it’s tasty, I do think the ones that I had in Barcelona are actually much better in the taste department, as they are usually beautiful in texture and creamy inside. This one is slightly dry and more like the bird’s eye fish fingers that we had when we were young. Fortunately this grilled Codfish is very good, as you can see from this clip that it is beautifully grilled and very juicy. ||On my second day, I have tried their in room dining. This salad with Ricotta Cheese is very refreshing and fulfilling at the same time, and the ingredients are all top notch. While for the day when I checked out, I had this beautifully made spinach ricotta soup, which was super creamy and filled with the luscious texture of dairy and spinach. While for the main dish, this Tagliatelle with Mozambique wild shrimp and reggiano has a sprinkle of citrus taste thanks to the refreshing ingredients of coriander and asparagus. And to end this lunch on a high note, what better way than to have this creamy and beautifully made creme brûlée?||Last but not least, let me take you to the gym of this hotel. While there is no swimming pool in this hotel, the gym is well equipped with facilities such as dumbbell, strength training machines and treadmill.||All in all, my stay at the Intercontinental Lisbon was a really impressive experience. It has lived up to the standard of a typical Intercontinental hotel. Staff as always are professional and dignified. And that’s actually what I like the most about intercontinental hotels, especially after you have stayed in other five star hotels that claimed to focus more on personal touch but can’t even ensure consistency in service (knock knock MO I am talking about you). Another thing that I like the most about this hotel is the fact that it’s flying under the radar, including its price, as what’s not to love about when on average it’s only charging me €300 per night, which for a not-so-cheap city like Lisbon, is...

After my initial review, the front desk manager and customer service team reached out to apologize and explain the issues regarding noise and staff behavior. They relocated me to a quieter room, which improved my stay, though I’m unsure if the staff’s improved attitude applied to all guests or just me.

I extended my stay by three nights but didn’t use housekeeping or breakfast, so I can’t comment on any changes there. However, more variety in the breakfast menu would be appreciated, as it became repetitive. On a positive note, the F&B staff remained exceptional, and my dining experience was a highlight.

As a traveler who took a 15-hour flight to visit Lisbon, I had high expectations for this city and its hospitality. Being treated differently due to appearance or cultural background can make such efforts feel meaningless. Hotel staff play a key role in shaping visitors’ impressions, and I hope all guests receive the same level of care.

I appreciate the staff who took my feedback seriously and worked to improve the situation. I will return in the future, leaving one star unfilled for now.

My initial 1-star rating has been adjusted, and this review update was made without any compensation.

I should have to repeat it,

Do not come here. This hotel is the worst.

Every time you enter or leave the building, you will be met with cold stares. While other guests receive warm smiles, you will feel the difference. The concierge staff will avoid your gaze, look into the air, or smile at other guests while completely ignoring you. If you are Asian, their expression will not be that of a service professional but one filled with coldness, contempt, and disregard.

The front desk is no different. If you look at them for assistance, they will simply avoid eye contact, even when they are doing nothing.

Regarding F&B, I only used the breakfast restaurant, so I will only comment on that. The breakfast menu is the same every day for seven days—there is no variation. The service is relatively fast, and the restaurant is busy in the morning. They serve TWG tea, which is one of the few decent aspects of this hotel. Generally, hotel F&B departments are too busy to provide outstanding service, but this restaurant offers the best service in the entire hotel which says a lot.

The rooms are old. They seem to have undergone some minor renovations, but the soundproofing is nonexistent. I strongly advise against staying here with family, especially on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. You will hear everything from the rooms next door and above, from squeaking beds to loud thumping noises, all through the night until dawn. If the noise comes from the room next door, you will even feel vibrations so you won’t need a 4DX movie theater. you’ll experience it firsthand here.

During the daytime, construction noises, including drilling sounds, fill the air. Shouldn’t hotels notify guests about ongoing construction? The basics of hospitality are entirely missing here.

Housekeeping is also bizarre. Isn’t housekeeping supposed to be completed before check-in? Yet, here, the housekeeping staff knocks on the door as early as 9 AM while I am still resting, asking if I want my room cleaned. Even after requesting a cleaning around 2 PM and returning to my room at 9 PM, I was shocked to find a staff member still inside. Additionally, the quality of cleaning is inconsistent. Sometimes, used towels are left untouched, while other times, the room is cleaned thoroughly. I am not particularly picky about cleaning, but even I found this unacceptable at times.

The biggest issue, however, is the attitude of the staff. Now I understand why this hotel has such low ratings on travel sites that are popular among Asian travelers. Is the subpar service due to the lower room rates compared to other hotels? I have no idea.

I absolutely do not...

We stayed at Intercontinental Lisbon for 2 nights in Aug 24. Services: We booked 2 rooms via Expedia & we requested for the connecting rooms & on a higher floor. At first, their reply from the front desk (Joao) that we would need to pay for an extra €200/ night in order to get the 2 connecting rooms. However, we were so delighted to find out later at the check-in that the hotel had upgraded our stay & granted our requests for the 2 connecting rooms on the higher floor, for free of charge. Every staff member that we encountered (except the one at the checkout) was fantastic, extremely helpful, polite, & super friendly! It's definitely 5 out of 5 for the services & everyone was doing so well at their jobs & made us feel welcome! Rooms: The rooms were so clean & reasonably spacious. It has everything that we need. (I.e. USB ports by the bed, & provided bath robes, kettle, sofa...etc) Shower's switch was a nice touch & the shower water flow was strong, the beds & the pillows were comfortable, the air con was comfy enough to keep us cool all night, the daily rooms cleaning quality was brilliant.... there was nothing to dislike about the rooms! The food menu for the room service (from the Akla restaurant downstairs) was wonderful & it offered lots of value for money dishes as well! The 2 connecting rooms offered us more space & privacy! it was a 100% 5 out of 5 for the quality of the rooms! Location: The hotel is located in a quiet, safe & upscale neighbourhood. There are a few nice Italian restaurants nearby. It's also next to the Four Seasons & it's just opposite to the Parque Eduardo Park. Within 6 minutes walk, there is a small supermarket & the Marques de Pombal Metro station is just about 8-10 minutes walk away. (Although walking uphill from the station would take a bit longer). Despite it's not located in the downtown, it's in a convenient, open, & safe area. We loved it! Breakfast: The breakfast buffet was €25/day/person. It offered both hot food & continental breakfast. I think if there's one thing that Intercontinental will need to improve, it'll be in their breakfast area. The cold food section was fine, i.e. the ham, turkey, croissants, fruits...etc. were fresh & lovely. But the hot food section was not as nice, i.e., bacon was hard to chew, sausages meat quality was bad, the tomato sauce in the baked beans were too waterly, hash browns were not mushy or crispy as they were too soft...etc. I also didn't like the staffs always took away our glasses & cutlery before we even finished our breakfasts. As soon as we sat down, I think the staff only offering us orange juice on the small glasses (instead of the bigger glasses that they set for water) were unnecessary, I.e. it gave us the feeling that they were just being a bit of mean. There also weren't alot variety of breakfast to choose from as well. As for the breakfast, it looked like an average 4 stars hotels' standard, but I know they can improve in the future. (They just need to pay a bit more attention to details of what customers need.) Overall, 5 out of 5 for the experience on our 2 nights stay. We will definitely come back & thank you Intercontinental so much for giving us the most lovely & comfortable...