The Editory Riverside Santa Apolónia Hotel — Hotel in Lisbon

This should not be rated as a 5 star hotel and there are some serious issues. My stay here was a disaster and no one seems to be taking responsibility or show interest to improve anything.

The two river view rooms that I booked were incredibly dirty. Dust everywhere, hair, spots on the mirrors, the shower cabin was full of white spots from chalk, the windows were very dirty… Short: no one had properly cleaned these rooms for months.

After complaining about this, I was told that they would deep clean my room. Unfortunately, a day later, it was still the same mess. Again, I complained, another empty apology was given and another day passed, with only minimal improvement. At least some of the most obvious dirt was removed and they gave me some slippers (There were none when I arrived) but it was still far from clean.

But this is not all…

One day before checking out, I was contacted via WhatsApp and they asked whether the second room that I had booked was still needed. Apparently, they had messed up the reservation and had assumed that the person in this room would check out on that day. When we returned later that evening, the room could not be accessed anymore and we had to ask for a new key. On top of that, the room had not been cleaned, the bed was not made etc. I can forgive that a mistake was made with the booking, but I don’t get why they didn’t make an immediate effort to clean the room and make sure that the key would be working when I informed them that the checkout date was later. I don’t even understand why they contacted me, when nothing would happen anyway.

I wish I could stop here, but I have more things to say. The breakfast was mediocre at best, we tried it on day one and decided not to go there again, even though we had paid for it for 5 days. Furthermore, the rooms and especially the bathrooms are very small for a 5 star property. The wardrobe space is also very limited. Even though I was alone in my room, I was not able to put all of my things into a closet. There were only 4 hangers and very limited space to put t-shirts etc.

I was told twice that a manager would contact me. This never happened. Yesterday, when I checked out, no manager was present either. I didn’t expect anything else, but it just shows that no one cares.

No compensation was offered, only empty words from the reception staff (who I don’t blame - they are not at fault for this disaster). They wanted to restock my minibar for free, but let’s be real - that is a joke and doesn't compensate for anything.

I can only recommend other travellers to choose a different place, which is a pity, given that the building itself is really charming and the river view is quite nice.

No more appologies please. I wish someone (and no, I am not talking about the front office manager - I am talking about the general manager or the owner) takes responsibility and takes the necessary action to ensure this never happens again. I honestly feel scammed by you guys - knowing how this played out, I should have just left upon arriving and asked for my money back. It wasn't exactly expensive for a 5 star hotel (and I should have taken that as a warning sign), but it was way too expensive for what it was. There are plenty of hotels in Lisbon that are clean, have decent breakfast options and are less...

My stay here was from August 1, 2025 - August 14, 2025. This was my first visit to Portugal. I decided to stay in Lisbon at this amazing hotel. The price was amazingly affordable. It was beautiful, historic and a perfect location to get to wherever I wanted to go within the city and travel through the country. It’s part of a beautiful old main train station that allowed me to travel to cities like Porto and Óbidos. You can travel all over Portugal from here. The hotel was immaculately kept. My room had a small terrace overlooking the river. The amenities were more than I could ask for. The room was a perfect size and the bathroom was perfect. There was a huge television, but I didn’t watch much because I wanted to be out discovering this beautiful country. The Impulso restaurant in the hotel was amazing. The chefs, and restaurant staff, and the bar were of Michelin quality. I chose the package for my stay which included breakfast with my room and I’m so happy that I did. The restaurant space is huge. They put out a huge buffet that was about half the depth of the entire restaurant space. Beautiful pastries, cheeses, fresh fruits, fish, eggs, cereals, yogurts. I can’t mention everything. It was a foodies delight. You could also order which was inclusive, an omelette or eggs any style that you requested. They had coffee, tea, water and fresh juices available. They even had Port and Sparkling Wine if you wanted to start your daily adventure at breakfast I did eat dinner in the restaurant a few nights as well which was wonderful. They had meat, seafood, and vegetables available. I had mostly the seafood and the burger and beef which were all wonderful. The bar area was large and comfortable if you cared for a drink.

I encountered lovely people from around the world with families including children. I traveled alone, but I saw how family and children friendly the hotel was.

The staff was top notch. I give thanks to the following for their outstanding customer service, personal attention, support, kindness and knowledge. Without them my stay would have not been as welcoming and wonderful as it was. I apologize in advance if I miss some names. Every staff member listed and not listed were excellent.

Front Office Staff:

Reception: Pedro, Miguel, Fábio, João Santos, Florbela, Nádia, Maria, and Carolina

Porters: João Pereira, Luís, and Rodrigo.

Again, I apologize for the names that I have missed, but my memories and gratitude for all the staff are forever with me and within my heart for making me feel not only as a guest, but part of the family.

I thank all of you at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolonia Hotel for making my stay comfortable, inviting, and a home away from home.

I highly recommend this hotel and I am excited for my next visit in the future.

Sincerely, Your guest and new friend, Robert Agress Brooklyn,...

There was an international conference at a university in Lisbon, so I stayed at a hotel near the university during the conference period. After the conference ended, I wanted to explore more of Lisbon, so I moved to The Editory Riverside. Although it was listed as a 5-star hotel, the overall quality was poor, and in particular, the attitude of the female staff at the reception was so unpleasant that I feel compelled to share my experience for others.

I’m a Korean professional, but I’ve spent more than half of my life abroad and have traveled extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. Among the many hotels I’ve stayed in, this one left a particularly bad impression. The female receptionists remained seated at their desks and never stood up. When I asked questions, they simply responded with a curt “What?” as if they couldn’t understand me, rolling their eyes. They then exchanged glances and giggled behind my back after I walked away, as if mocking me.

The bed in the room was clean, but there were no slippers provided, and coffee, tea, and bottled water were not replenished daily. Most importantly, the hot water in the bathroom didn’t work well. When I asked the front desk, they just said, “Find the button and press it,” as if I had never seen a shower before. Even after pressing the button, adjusting the water temperature was difficult, and there was no such button at the sink. I had already unpacked and didn’t want to deal with those unpleasant staff members again, so I didn’t pursue it further.

While I was reading in the lounge on the first floor, a staff member even came over and questioned whether I was a guest at the hotel.

It seemed that this hotel rarely sees Asian guests. I don’t know if they’re stuck in some outdated Eurocentric mindset, but if a hotel claims to be 5-star, it should at least provide basic international-level service. The facilities were also very basic—I honestly don’t understand what criteria qualified this hotel for five stars. I definitely would not recommend this hotel to any of my friends, whether they’re from Asia, Europe, or...