The ibis Lisboa Liberdade is located in the Principe Real neighborhood, a great location to explore Lisbon’s sights and it’s nightlife. It offers a simple, clean room with a comfortable bed in a central location at a reasonable price. The breakfast is very good. The ibis Lisboa Liberdade has a lot of potential, but a lack of amenities, a fairly high price and some service issues prevent me from recommending it. Check out my detailed reviews and photos to see if it can still be a fit for you!
Location: The ibis Lisboa Liberdade is in a great location in the Principe Real neighborhood. From here, you can easily walk down the Avenida Liberdade into downtown or to the bars and nightlife in Principe Real and Bairro Alto, with minimal hill climbing – a key differentiator in hilly Lisbon! You’ll find a convenience store and bank ATMs nearby as well.
You also have access to the Yellow subway line at Rato (5 minutes) walk and a number of bus lines, making it easy to explore Lisbon with public transportation. The ride to the airport is 20-30 minutes and approx. EUR10 by uber, much preferred over the scam-my local taxis.
Service: The experience at the ibis Lisboa Liberdade was decidedly mixed – a good overall experience was spoiled at the end. We received a warm welcome and after some initial confusion, our paperwork was processed and we received keys to our room as well as information about breakfast and a local map.
Housekeeping did a thorough job each day cleaning our room. The staff at the restaurant was especially friendly and on top of their game. They kept tables cleared and the buffet stocked, even during the busiest time. They quickly fixed the coffee maker when I pointed out a problem and even got me a cup from the bar, so I didn’t have to wait.
Our checkout was processed quickly – but as it turned out later, not without issues. My Accor LeClub points and stay credits didn’t post and on follow up with Accor, I was told that the stay had been credited to a different number. As always with Accor, it took a firm response, pointing out that I had made the reservation through Accor and the reservation and invoice were linked to my account, as easily proven online, to receive the credit. According to Accor, the staff at the hotel had created a new account after our arrival and posted the credit to that account. I have no good explanation why they would do that, other than ill intent. Given that the hotel refused to fix the issue and Accor Customer Service had to override it, I can only consider this fraud on behalf of the staff…
Room: The ibis Lisboa Liberdade uses the latest ibis brand decor, including the very comfortable bed with a soft mattress topper and good quality sheets, pillows and comforter that make for very good sleep.
Against the window is a narrow desk with chair, so you can get some work done. A bench next to the bed can serve as luggage bench or a seating option. In the corner is an open closet with shelves and hangers.
The TV is mounted against funky, drawn wall-art. The air conditioner is very strong – that’s better than what you find in most hotels in Europe, regardless of budget!
The bathroom is slightly larger than in other ibis hotels and very nice. The shower with glass wall is on one side, the sink with a large mirror and good lighting in the center and the toilet on the other side. The towels and provided body & hair shampoo are basic.
Unfortunately, the ibis Liberdade doesn’t offer a fridge, coffee/tea facilities or a safe – all features common at ibis hotels in Asia.
The free WiFi Internet varied greatly, but was generally fast with an average speed of 25Mbps.
Restaurant & Amenities: The ibis Lisboa Liberdade doesn’t offer a gym or pool, but does have a restaurant and bar that serve food all day.
A small breakfast is available from 4:00-6:30am, giving you a chance to grab a coffee and snack for an early start. The full breakfast is available from 6:30am-12:00noon, so you can sleep in and still enjoy a breakfast. The selection was typical for this price category in Europe, including some fruit, yogurt, cereal, as well as cold cuts, cheese, pastries and breads. I especially enjoyed the local cheese tarts – yum! The coffee came from a machine, mixed from various powders and tasted just ok. The freshly squeezed orange juice made up for it. The quality of the breakfast items was higher than at other ibis and similar category hotels.
Value & Rewards: We booked the ibis Lisboa Liberdade through Accor with a 5% discount for members at a rate of $122/night including breakfast. While that is not a bad price for Lisbon in high season, it’s still pretty steep for what you get and I’d consider it ok value. Given the pricing, I’d expect amenities like a safe, coffee maker or fridge in the room. You can find the current price here!
As an Accor LeClub Platinum member, I earned 8,7% rewards point for future stays. As noticed earlier, I had to fight for these points and the room credits, which is always a hassle. We received a bottle of water as welcome amenity, but no room upgrade. Overall, the elite treatment at the ibis Lisboa Liberdade was a disappointment, the worst I’ve seen at an Accor property in a while.
Bottomline:The ibis Lisboa Liberdade offers a simple, clean room with a comfortable bed in a central location at a reasonable price. The mixed service, poor Accor elite treatment and fraudulent handling of points credit give me pause: As much as I’d like to recommend the hotel for what it has to offer, I can’t overlook the employee behavior and management’s refusal to address it. One guest is cheated on the points, the next on the bill, so if you like what you see and read about the hotel and want to stay, I’d recommend to check your bill, credit card and Accor LeClub account statement carefully to avoid any issues.