What is your IHG One Rewards status?
Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Very mixed feelings.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Deluxe room and received a Grand King bed (I previously received online a Twin Deluxe room, but I declined it).

How are the rooms?
Around 30sqm.

Superbly designed by Cristina Santos Silva and Ana Menezes Cardoso.

Very comfortable bed.
Usb sockets next to the bed (none of them actually worked).

Seating area with chair
Small desk.
Kettle and Nespresso machine.

Tiny closet
Television with excellent selection of international channels
No Chromecast (despite some Chromecast wifi).
No free PressReader
(Blocked) minibar
Very efficient air conditioning.

Very nice marble bathroom with walk-in shower and bathtub
Karl Lagerfeld toiletries (surprisingly pleasant fragrance)..

View over the inner courtyard.
Very quiet.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
GOOD

• Very central location (Uber drivers are a bit lost to find the hotel as the last meters can be done by walking only)
• Superb renovation.
• Very pleasant inner courtyard around which the hotel is built.
• Pretty good breakfast (but nothing extraordinary).
• Quite pleasant (small) indoor pool and fitness centre with sauna open 24/7 (but very surprised that the only showers available empty directly… into the pool: you sweat in the sauna, then wash with water getting into the pool ).

BAD

• Blocked windows "because IHG does not authorize to open them"?!? 🤪
• Catastrophic service at breakfast: 30 minutes before closing, the buffet was literally empty. A lot of guests complained about it, but nothing was done. Luckily I'd arrived before the buffet was empty. But getting an orange juice required two people: one tilting the orange juice container, the other holding the glass and trying to get some from the tap. The service was horribly slow and chaotic: either the dishes or drinks didn't arrive, or they arrived twice.
• It had rained during the night, so the tables and chairs in the courtyard were wet: it wasn't until 11.30 am that they were cleaned so that the guests could sit down.
• The room was nice but terribly dark, despite sunny weather: the only bedroom window is in a corner of the room in the seating area. It overlooks a space between two walls, and then only the courtyard more than 3 metres away (read: very poor light from outside). In the bathroom, the window opens onto a skylight... with no light. 😩
• Late checkout was confirmed at 2pm at check-in but the card was obviously deactivated beforehand and I received a phone call from reception at 12.30pm to ask what time I was leaving...
• When I checked out, I had to sign a refund document because EUR 100+ had been unduly charged from my credit card.
• Of course, no one asked me what I thought of my stay, which leaves little chance for the members of staff to see the areas for improvement.

Value for $ or IHG One Rewards Points? Would you return?
It was my first stay at this property, which is beautifully designed.
But does it worth it?

Let’s hope that after the soft opening period, service will be much better (but always surprised that basic hotel operations are not under control at time of opening a new property).

The difference of service at InterContinental Lisbon was striking.
When the (great) member of staff at InterContinental asked me what I thought about the new Vignette property in town, my reply was:
Why staying at a fancy hotel when you just can stay at an excellent property?



Exterior




Lobby








Inner courtyard











Access to the rooms




Grand King Room










Bathroom




Coffee station

Minibar


Welcome gift



View from the room

Pool and fitness centre










Restaurant












Breakfast