"We booked a two-night stay in a triple room for my wife, our daughter, and myself at AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado. The room itself was large, clean, and well-furnished. The bathroom was somewhat cramped, with the shower extremely close to the toilet, but for a short stay this wasn’t a major issue.
What was a major issue was the tram noise and vibration.
The room description states: “Spacious and elegant room overlooking our interior courtyard, situated close to the bustling Calçada de San Francisco, where the iconic 28 tram passes.” Any reasonable reader would interpret this as meaning the hotel is conveniently located near the tram. What it does not make clear is that the tram lines run along the road behind the hotel from 5:30am until after midnight, trams pass in both directions roughly every ten minutes, and the room literally shakes when they go by.
The first tram of the morning was a shocking wake-up call — genuinely like a bomb going off nearby. The shutters rattled and the floor vibrated. It was impossible to sleep through.
When we complained the following morning and suggested this extreme level of noise should be clearly disclosed, we were referred to the room description and told it clearly states that courtyard-facing rooms are noisy. This is simply not true. There is absolutely no mention of noise or vibration anywhere in the description. For clarity, the building directly behind the hotel fronts the road where the trams run in both directions on metal tracks — extremely close to the hotel. I have included a photograph with hotel ringed in red.
The so-called “interior courtyard” sounds charming in the description, but in reality, it is a narrow space containing large air-conditioning fans at ground level, sandwiched between the rear of the hotel and the building that faces the tram line. I have included a photograph.
In the morning, we asked to move rooms. We were told all triple rooms face the courtyard and that the only alternative would be a junior suite — at additional cost. We were also told we had been given Room 21 on a lower floor because the higher floors experience even worse noise and vibration. We were told that the room description states that the rooms facing the inner courtyard are noisy, but this is obviously not the case as there is no mention whatsoever of this fact in the description. What surprised us most was the complete lack of apology or genuine attempt to resolve the issue.
In over forty years of travelling for business and leisure, if there has ever been a serious issue with a room, hotels have offered an upgrade without hesitation and without additional charge. That was certainly not the case here.
During our stay, we were told that only five of the 28 rooms were occupied, and as a result the buffet breakfast was not being offered (the same items were offered from the à la carte menu instead, which was perfectly good). This made it even more astonishing that the hotel chose not to move us after such a dreadful first night. With so few guests, resolving the situation would have been easy and we would have been able to a have restful second night.
We used wax earplugs in the hope of getting some sleep on the second night, but it made absolutely no difference, the noise was so intrusive. We were relieved to be checking out.
Before leaving, we asked to speak to the hotel/duty manager. We explained again that the description does not state that the rooms are noisy and that we would never have booked had this been made clear. He repeated that the description makes it clear. It does not. At no point during the complaint was any apology offered. The only apology we received during our entire stay came from a young receptionist as we were leaving.
To be fair, the restaurant food was good and the evening cocktails were enjoyable. The staff on reception and in the restaurant/bar were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is also well located in the old town, close to bars, restaurants, and shopping. Unfortunately, it is simply too close to the tram line. Only after we had experienced the noise and vibration on our first night and complained, were we told that all rooms facing this direction are noisy — but this crucial information is not disclosed in the booking description, as the hotel manager insisted it was, even after we showed him the actual description online. The attitude of the manager and the hotel policy regarding room changes demonstrated extremely poor customer service.
This was meant to be a restful break during a difficult time dealing with family health problems. Instead, it turned into a sleepless nightmare.
If you value your sleep, avoid this hotel unless and until they clearly state that these rooms are subject to extreme tram noise and vibration. Check other reviews on Trip Advisor that complain of exactly the same experience."
