VIP Executive Art's

The location is handy, but the problems made it hard to get any peace of mind. Breakfast had limited choices, and the ACs in most rooms were old and didn’t work. I stayed in two rooms over three days because the first room’s AC failed. The worst part for me was the staff’s behavior. In all my travels and hundreds of hotels around the globe, I’ve never encountered staff so rude and impolite, or so slow to help guests. I mean the young white female receptionist working around 14:15 on the 8th of September. The hotel puts a bottle of tap water in the room on arrival. I had three separate bookings for my three days there, and they supplied water on the first two days, but not the third. I called reception to ask for a bottle and got none, so I went down and asked. She refused, saying they only provide it on the very first day. I explained each booking was separate and therefore a new booking. I know it sounds silly to write about, and I could have bought a bottle for a euro, but there wasn’t a store nearby. Still, it was both my right to get a bottle and a matter of empathy when I was simply asking for drinking water. The hotel and its reception staff acted like machines and wouldn’t consider the request. I raised it with other staff too, but no one took it into account. I stayed in Lisboa for two more days without making another booking there, then left. A hotel is more than a building, and this one was very much lacking in facilities and customer service. Thank you.

The bar was really nice, breakfast was great, a cooked continental combo, and the staff were kind, though a little assertive in the classic Portuguese style. The price was reasonable and the location kind of convenient. The hotel was comfortable enough, and I had a nice time. The rooms need some TLC. The bathrooms have problems, things leak, and the TV is tiny for the room. It must have been incredible when it first opened. The art was a highlight, especially the exhibition from Francisco Bartus while we were there. With some TLC, this could be amazing.

Breakfast was good, the bed was comfortable, and the room was nice apart from the bathroom. That needs proper maintenance, with cracks in the sink, cracks and mold in the bath tiles, and several visible repairs to the bath itself. Check-in was very slow and seemed inefficient. I waited 40 minutes(!!!) in a queue, a rough start after a long trip. I also had to pay city tax even though my company had already paid it in advance. I got a refund at the end of my stay.

I’ve stayed here several times, including during COVID time, but sadly this was my last visit. The dining area and room service were excellent, and it’s close to the boardwalk. The hotel interior is tired and worn out. I stayed 10 nights. My agency wanted to add one more night, but there was a web conference in Lisbon and the hotel had raised prices by 600%, to 600€/night. I understand wanting to make a profit, but that didn’t feel like a fair price for someone who had already stayed 10 nights and used full board meals and laundry services. I moved 6 km away, where prices were still the same as the previous day.