Due to price and proximity to the airport, I chose to stay here for a night while waiting for my flight back to the USA. Why due to price, might you ask? Well, doesn’t 63 USD sound amazing, especially since neighboring hotels were selling in the hundreds that same night? I tried booking that young-adult discount rate online prior to arriving at the property, which I knew was only available for purchase on the official hotel site but assumed I could easily get at the check-in counter as well. The site was down or not accepting my bank account for whatever reason, even after clearing all fraud protection freezes and things like that. Please know that when I say the following, I’m not putting direct blame on the individual staff members at Stay Hotel Porto Airport. I’m putting blame on the larger system. BUT it still needs to be said. I wish the staff could have quickly given me the $63 rate at the check-in counter, KNOWING I was having trouble with the website/app and should’ve been entitled to it with a better payment method. By the time I tried and tried and tried to get the rate to go through, the $63 rate had expired and the next best option was for $81, still exclusive to the app. And sure enough, know what happened when I tried paying for the $81? Still no luck. When the clock struck midnight, all hope was lost for a cheaper rate—the app reset its prices to the next night, and I had to pay a rate of around $100 at the counter to get a room right then. A valid argument could be to ask why I’m this picky about the prices, since when viewing it macroscopically, the differences aren’t that extreme. But I was traveling on a VERY tight budget. Every little amount counts a ton. And being at the end of my trip, my finances were in jeopardy more than they’d been at any other point in Europe. So I lost out on 40 bucks, which adjusted for non-backpacker inflation is 400 bucks. Or more. The last thing I’m going to add to the unfortunate pricing situation is one where I feel arguably the most disappointed about. Yes it’s apparently company rules not to book rates over the counter that are supposed to be booked online. But I didn’t feel that sense of sympathy or apology from either of the two employees at the desk. They were kind and friendly enough, which was expected—but when something goes wrong out of the customer’s control, I also expect clear, explicit concern and care to be verbalized. I don’t think they really “cared” that I missed out on a cheap rate because their company’s app payment portal malfunctioned. One of the ladies even told me (when I asked if this was a common issue with foreigners) that this scenario occurs roughly once each WEEK, which she labeled as not very common…but I beg to differ. I’m not saying they should fix the app issue…but they should’ve given me something like an apology. Quickly to fulfill my job responsibilities as an objective and comprehensive reviewer…the room was clean and comfy, the bathroom was spacious with
9 opinii