Novotel Lisboa

"The hotel wasn’t quite what we’d hoped for. It’s seriously overcrowded, which affects almost every part of the stay. The rooms themselves are decent, but the location lets it down badly — it’s a good 45-minute walk from Lisbon city centre, so don’t expect to be close to any of the main sights. The pool is tiny, and even if you time it well, the sunbeds are usually taken and it’s packed with children. On top of that, it’s far from peaceful — the pool sits right next to the main road, so there’s constant traffic noise, and planes fly overhead every 1-3 minutes. To be fair, the family-friendly vibe makes sense — this hotel is clearly geared towards families with young kids — but if you’re not travelling with children, it’s not a relaxing experience. Breakfast is fine but suffers from the same overcrowding issue; expect to wait around 10 minutes just to be seated. A booking system for breakfast slots would make a real difference here and cut down on the queuing. Small thing, but there were also no tea bags provided in the room, which was a bit disappointing. Getting around the hotel is its own challenge too — there are only three elevators for the whole building, so be prepared to wait a while during busier periods. Service overall is okay, though our first impression wasn’t great — the receptionist told us the spare bed wouldn’t be big enough for my sister, as if it were only meant for a child, which put us in a bad mood before we’d even seen the room. When we got there, the bed was completely fine, so that comment felt unnecessary. One small but annoying detail: the chair in the room sits at an odd, permanent leaning angle, making it uncomfortable and impractical for things like doing makeup. The view isn’t up to much either — just more buildings, in keeping with the underwhelming location. Given all this, it didn’t feel like good value for the price we paid. Overall, it’s a solid choice for families with young children, but I wouldn’t recommend it to other types of travellers."

"apparently, they do not trust their patrons. Even though they have our passports, we have paid for drinks with cards, and have stayed here for days. Tonight I tried to look out of the dining room window and was stopped by a member of staff. I then asked for the supervisor, and she told me that I couldn’t look out of the window as others may steal something for breakfast! But, she added, nothing about me! I am absolutely flabbergasted that patrons cannot look out of the window of the dining room, when having dinner if it impinges on the (not taped off, by the way), breakfast area. I was soundly told off by 2 staff members for this disgraceful behaviour. Never stay here again."

"DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL! Save your money and stay elsewhere. We booked a four-night stay at this hotel for our anniversary trip and were extremely disappointed. Almost all of the advertised amenities were either unusable or under construction. We felt misled because none of this was clearly disclosed on the booking website before our arrival, and no compensation or goodwill gesture was offered despite the poor conditions. 1. The gym was completely unusable. It looked more like a construction site than a fitness facility, with tools, bricks, sandbags, and building materials scattered everywhere. 2. The swimming pool was poorly maintained. The pool appeared dirty, the shower facilities were not working, and the poolside terrace was closed. Chairs were stacked up around the area, making it look abandoned rather than part of a hotel. 3. Ongoing construction disrupted the entire stay. Half of the lobby and restaurant area was closed, and there was constant noise from construction workers throughout the day. It was impossible to relax, work on a laptop, or even have a conversation comfortably in the common areas. 4. A serious privacy issue occurred on our checkout day. Just before 9:00 a.m., while we were still in bed, a cleaner unlocked our room and walked straight in without knocking. Checkout wasn't until 12:00 p.m. We were shocked and felt our privacy had been completely disregarded. No explanation or apology was provided afterward. 5. The hotel was dusty and poorly managed. Construction dust was noticeable throughout the property, and the staff appeared indifferent to the situation. Every corner of the hotel felt neglected, giving the impression of a €10 hostel rather than a hotel charging premium rates. 
6. We were assigned a room with a faulty air conditioning/ventilation system. Upon check-in, we discovered that the air conditioning and ventilation in our room were not functioning. We had to pack up and move to a different room, causing unnecessary disruption and inconvenience. This issue should have been identified and resolved before the room was allocated to guests.

 This was supposed to be a special anniversary trip, but instead it became a very frustrating experience. Had we known the true condition of the property, we would never have booked it. DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL."