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Lisboa Carmo Hotel: Roaches, Thieves and Liars

When we arrived there was a giant roach in our room. I killed it, but my wife would not walk in the room without wearing shoes.

The Hotel staff also stole money out of our room. The Hotel staff knows when you enter and exit the Hotel. During our stay, we kept our money locked in the safe. Before we checked out, we packed our bags and put our money in our luggage. We put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign and went for a half hour walk. The Hotel staff observed us leave at that time. While we were out, Hotel staff entered our room without permission and stole our money. We know we had the money, because we had just counted it, for a tour the next day in Porto.

After the theft, the Lisboa Carmo Hotel Management lied to us and tried to cover-up the crime. When I first called the Hotel, the Hotel staff person Louise Silva told me that they had cameras and that I should call back the next day to speak with Hotel management to have the video reviewed to solve the crime. The next day, I spoke with Assistant Hotel Manager Rafael, who told me that the Security Manager could review the video on Monday to see who wrongfully entered our room. However, the next day, the Hotel Manager Richardo Salvador sent me an email refusing to produce the video and threatened to sue me. That was so offensive. It seems clear that Richardo Salvador was lying and covering up the theft. His refusal to produce the video is proof that Hotel staff stole our money.

My recommendation is there are lots of good hotels in Lisbon. So, stay away from the Lisboa Carmo Hotel.

Posted by
1341 posts

Why didn’t you use a money belt?

Shouldn't need to. Don't blame the victim.

Posted by
1623 posts

The OP has posted the exact same review on TripAdvisor 2 days ago and it appears they stayed there back in October. I’m curious to know why they waited 2 months to post this review and why they didn’t report this crime to the police.

Posted by
34098 posts

yes, frank k on TA. Word for word identical. Expect the scatter gun elsewhere too.

Roaches tend to be specific sizes, not big and overweight, I wonder how big it was

Posted by
8250 posts

Nigel, I don't know about Portugal but in the states, you can find large and small roaches. I've seen some pretty big ones before. Ugh.

Posted by
3 posts

I appreciate everyone's responses. Our trip to Portugal was wonderful. We traveled for 12 days on our own, and visited Lisbon, Porto, the Douro Valley, Fatima and Nazare. I used the Rick Steves Portugal guide book and it was very helpful. If anyone is interested, I would be happy to provide recommendations for the places we visited.

The only disappointment was the Lisboa Carmo Hotel. I take responsibility for putting our money in our luggage for a half hour. But, that does not excuse that the Hotel Staff intentionally violated our privacy, the "Do Not Disturb" sign, and went through our luggage. After that, the Hotel Management lied to us and threatened us. All that was offensive and disturbing. So, I just provide this warning to help Rick Steves travelers avoid roaches, thieves and liars.

Otherwise, I strongly encourage travelers to visit Portugal. Our trip exceeded expectations.

Posted by
1341 posts

It was kinda more than offensive and disturbing. It was criminal if they stole your money. What did the police say?

Posted by
3 posts

We filed a police report with the Lisbon police, but I never heard back from them. We also filed a claim with our credit card company. They investigated and gave us a credit for the money that was stolen. So, we are even on the money, but I would like to assist Rick Steves travelers avoid the violation trouble associated with it.

Posted by
1341 posts

Fair enough. Very dramatic thread titles and "warnings" of this type posted in various places on the internet might not be as effective as you'd hope. I'm sure it's an open and shut case, but staff members' full names (even if misspelled) in relation to something unproven isn't really on.

Posted by
390 posts

I always search reviews for the lowest rating. On Booking com and Expedia there were a number of 1 star reviews and and a number of 2 and 3 star reviews. Some complaints about theft,others about insects, including roaches and various complaints about dated and inadequate rooms. So even if the Booking site has a high overall rating, it is useful to start with the lowest ratings .

Posted by
322 posts

@cafetista.bruja I also read the lowest rated reviews of hotels on Booking.com to find out what the worst issues with a mostly well-reviewed hotel (if the criticism is valid) might be. Then I decide if any of those potential issues would be a deal breaker for me.

Posted by
47 posts

Google also has many bad reviews including theft complaints and implicating the owners. Clearly a hotel to avoid.