InterContinental Porto

The room we received was the one-bedroom suite, and it was a very awkward design. There's a tiny patio outside that isn't really a balcony and isn't really a backyard either. There's no view to the outside, just a wall covered by fake plants. There's a chair and table out there, but they might as well not be, because there isn't enough room to sit comfortably. The layout of the room itself is awkward and doesn't offer enough space to navigate or place your luggage.

The rooms here benefit from having just been renovated and I hate to knock them, but I'm kind of surprised by what they did. The build quality is good but not great — they used good materials, but not ones you'd see at truly top-end hotels. I'm being harsh, but only because I actually like the InterContinental brand and hate to see corners cut at a property with the potential to be one of their flagships.

At least the bathrooms are nice. This might have one of my favorite hotel showers, since it offers both the overhead rainfall and the side nozzles, which can run at the same time — something I dream of owning in a future home. The layout is otherwise nice, with a clear view out to the tiny patio. There's plenty of space for two people at the vanity, and the toilet is situated in a decent location with plenty of privacy.

The mattress, linens and pillows were comfortable, as expected of an InterContinental, but not exceptional. There is a pillow menu available on request. There was limited hallway noise interrupting our sleep, as the bedroom had the living room and bathroom insulating us from the front door. I will say that humidity in Porto isn't a huge issue generally, but that room managed to hold onto it, and that's something I'm quite sensitive to. Temperature control was great and responsive — no complaints from me there.

The renovation might have added some automation, which does elevate the stay. There are controls for the lights but not the curtains, and the outlets handled universal plugs and USB, but no USB-C.

I'll be a bit harsh with this one — the hotel really doesn't offer amenities. I can understand not having a pool; this is a repurposed historic building, so adding one just isn't viable and may even be unnecessary. What I can't excuse is the lack of a lounge. There is space; I just think they chose not to build one. Lounges are money sinks with little upside for the hotel if people are willing to book anyway. I did enjoy the food in Porto very much and it wasn't expensive to eat out, but come on — you're an InterContinental. There's an expectation of a lounge. Other than that, the gym is decent but not spectacular.

The design philosophy is consistent throughout and invokes a European old-money vibe — or at least what I imagine that to be. There's a healthy balance of artificial and natural lighting throughout. No signature scent, which was disappointing; we stayed at the InterContinental Parnas and they had a signature scent we liked so much we bought a bottle to take home. In the rooms there's a wonderful integration of modern and old-school design.

That said, it looks better in pictures. There's a feeling of datedness and a lack of upkeep the second you walk into the building — the kind of thing that can be photoshopped out of curated images but won't go unnoticed if you visit. The overall design of the lobby is ornate, if not borderline tacky, though I personally enjoyed it since it felt European and exotic to me. Parts of the lobby felt barren and lacking in intentional design. There's a hallway offshooting from the entrance used just for shops and jewelry displays, with no active customers, and it gave the feeling of being abandoned. Finishes are seemingly high-end, with plenty of marble throughout, but I couldn't shake a feeling of cheapness. The bar and lounge looked modern and beautifully designed, so I'll give them that.

I don't feel like the hotel is maintained at an adequate standard. It was recently renovated, yet it does not exude any sense of having just been refreshed.

The location honestly can't get any better than this — right in the heart of Porto, next to São Bento train station. A lot of the time we would wander from one point of interest to the next and walk past our hotel several times a day completely naturally. I won't penalize the hotel twice for our lack of a view; I'm sure it's fantastic in other rooms.

There was also construction during our stay, which I assume will go on for a few more years. That isn't something I can fault the hotel for, but it does make the location slightly more inconvenient than it should be, and there's the noise of construction coming from the square. Again, not their fault, but it does affect the experience if you stay while it's ongoing — which it probably will be for the next three to four years.

Could use work. We did have assistance with our luggage, though the bellman lacked warmth and I felt uncomfortable handing it over — like I was inconveniencing him by asking for help. I did appreciate that our upgrade was handled well in advance and we knew the exact room we'd be getting days ahead. At the counter, the person assisting us was clearly in training and had no idea what the loyalty tiers were; the manager swooped in whenever she got stuck, and the rest of check-in went smoothly. When we got to our room, our welcome amenity wasn't ready, despite the room having been assigned to us days in advance. Not the worst thing, but it does make an impression.

We found the staff generally warm, friendly and helpful. The highlights were the breakfast staff and the manager who assisted us at check-in — all consummate professionals, while maintaining the warmth that makes you feel they don't detest their job or their guests.

Service really peaks at breakfast. They have an excellent staff-to-guest ratio there, and there were always different servers looking to clear our table or help us order more à la carte items, coffee or juice. The bellboys were also helpful on arrival, and the concierge was a good resource. They never really go above and beyond otherwise, though, so don't expect too much.

Operations ran fairly smoothly over our four days. Elevators ran well, though I don't think there were that many floors anyway. No real problems that we noticed, which is a good sign.

Housekeeping is only once a day, but they do the basics well — making the bed, cleaning the room and replacing toiletries. Nothing above and beyond that we noticed, but we never had any issues.

Breakfast here — honestly, don't waste your stomach space. There's so much delicious food in Porto that there's no need to eat what they provide. The buffet has limited hot options but does offer a wide array of pastries, juices, fruit, cold cuts and cheeses. The cold offerings were honestly above average, but I really need to start my day with freshly made food.

The pre-prepared hot foods were generally unappetizing to look at, let alone eat, and believe it or not the à la carte options are worse. We couldn't make it past one or two bites of each thing we ordered à la carte, and we stopped ordering entirely after the first two days. It felt like they lacked a proper head chef — simple dishes were botched and seasoning just wasn't there. Cafeteria food, anyone?

I actually enjoyed the capacity at this hotel. It wasn't empty enough to feel deserted, but it also wasn't so crowded that I felt claustrophobic or neglected. The entrance has heavy foot traffic, but it doesn't spill into the hotel itself.

Solid departure. At checkout the staff were friendly and we were helped with our luggage to our taxi. Billing was accurate as well.