Review: The Emerald House Lisbon, Curio Collection by Hilton
Hilton continues to expand in Portugal, opening a new Curio Hotel in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon in January 2022. We had the opportunity to visit the hotel in March, just a few weeks after the opening.
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LOCATION
Like many hotels in Lisbon, the Curio is not located directly in the city center, but offers a fair compromise of price range and alternative surroundings. The hotel is just south of the historic Old Town and very close to the banks of the Tagus River, which makes for nice walks with great views of the river and the iconic bridge. Also, there are various restaurants and bars with this same view. It's about a 30 minute walk to Praça do Comércio, the start of the old town. However, a cab or Uber will get you there in a few minutes. The hotel is located well to reach LxFactory or Belém.
ARRIVAL
Unfortunately, there is no place at all in front of the hotel where you can stop for a short time to unload your luggage. Even cabs have their difficulties with this, but parking our rental car was just impossible. The hotel also does not have an underground garage or other parking spaces, in the immediate neighborhood there are only a few public parking spaces on the very steep surrounding streets. Those who are dependent on a car should definitely take this into account. Unfortunately, due to high booking and limited staff, we could not be helped with our luggage. Our suitcases were stored behind the check-in desk until we could bring them to our room ourselves later.
LOBBY
The hotel lobby consists of one large continuous room that also contains the front desk, bar and restaurant. As soon as you enter, you realize that excessive space is not necessarily what characterizes the hotel. Nevertheless, the space is well used and thoughtfully decorated, with the flair of a boutique hotel. In some places in the building, you'll find items from the former occupants of the building that have been thoughtfully showcased. Right at the entrance, there was a large selection of different chocolates for guests to help themselves to.
CHECK-IN
Our check-in experience was also nothing out of the ordinary, but totally acceptable. The staff still seemed a bit unpracticed, but we find this forgivable a few weeks after the opening. We only received the room we booked despite Diamond status, but the hotel was fully booked on the website. In later conversations, we were able to learn that it is definitely a desire of the hotel to allow upgrades for status guests, despite the fact that there are basically not very many categories to chose from.
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ROOMS
The rooms, like the entire hotel, are very modern and thoughtfully decorated. The design of the furniture is meant to be reminiscent of travel luggage. Overall, the decor tends to be a bit more colorful and playful, but in a subtle way. The rooms are tightly sized, excessive space is not to be found throughout the hotel. The standard room has only 21 sqm (226 sqft). In a compact way, the bathroom, shower and toilet are built into the front part of the room. On the other side are closets, a bench, coffee maker and refrigerator. In the room we found two bottles of water, still and sparkling.
Next to the cozy king bed, you'll find a nightstand on either side with a retro phone. Of course, there is a large television and a small desk with an additional seat. The air conditioning worked well. The photos are based on stays in the King Guest Room and the King Deluxe Room.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is available in the morning in the restaurant area next to the lobby. There is a small but thoughtful buffet where everyone should find something. It was possible to order a la carte items (e.g. omelettes) at the table, but we only found out about this by coincidence, as there were no menus or anything like that. The staff could have been a bit more motivated, it was a little difficult to place your orders, however, there was definitely a lack of staff, as sometimes only one employee was in charge of the whole breakfast area. Surely this has been rectified by now.
GYM
There was a small gym in the basement. The windowless room was equipped with various fitness equipment and weights and a small workout area. There was a TV mounted on the wall. The area was open 24 hours. It was very clean at all times, there were always fresh towels, water and fruit.
OVERALL SERVICE
The service was satisfactory. At some points, it was noticeable that the team was not yet fully rehearsed, but this is acceptable a few weeks after the opening. For the most part, we encountered a motivated and eager team that was eager to assist guests with any concerns. Housekeeping was impeccable, the rooms looked new every day and even small requests were fulfilled immediately. The staff at the bar and in the restaurant in the evening were also attentive and very eager.
RATE & STAY DETAILS
This article is based on two separate stays in April 2022, one for two nights and one for five nights. The hotel tends to be in the lower price range, with nights starting at €110 depending on the booking period.
STATUS RECOGNITON
We were unable to receive an upgrade as a Diamond member on either visit, but the hotel was understandably fully booked. As mentioned, hotel management told us that they do try to offer upgrades to status customers. However, the options are limited, there are few suites and few rooms with views, so there is not much potential for upgrades.
As customary outside the U.S., we received breakfast as a benefit. There was also a welcome drink in the form of a voucher for the bar and a large welcome gift with fruit and candy in the room.
SUMMARY
A nice modern hotel with a fair location for an affordable stay in Lisbon. The rooms are modern and clean, the air conditioning works well. The staff is eager to help. The proximity to the Tagus River is convenient for great views during walks and dinners. We can happily recommend the Emerald House and will certainly be back again.
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