Holiday Inn Lisbon Continental by IHG

I am a bit surprised that the ratings on this hotel tend to be a bit on the low side. Lisbon is a city which is increasingly expensive and I have tried a double-digit number of them in the past so I have some perspective for the local market. I am not sure where else I could get a proactive suite upgrade (as IHG Diamond) for a room less than 100 EUR per night, whether within IHG or with other hotel chain. And I am being positive about this hotel despite Holiday Inn normally being one of my least preferred hotel brands - this particular hotel bucks the trend. I could not fault them for anything. Sure the rooms are showing their age but having wood floors instead of carpet helps the hotel stay in decent shape, unlike some others which I tried before like Sheraton. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some of the newer properties in Lisbon are visually nicer but are orders of magnitude more expensive than Holiday Inn so unfair comparison. Last but not least, Holiday Inn is priced reasonably, and it's not because it's in the middle of nowhere. The location is actually fairly decent either walking distance to some sites or for taking the metro. Overall I would find it unreasonable to blame the hotel for some of the less appealing features that come with an older hotel such as the shower being in a bathtub, considering the price tag. Therefore I can without hesitation give 5/5 to this hotel.