Five stars, thoughtfully done.

Oh my goodness. ME Lisbon has been an incredible surprise.

Its five stars are well earned and well deserved. But this is five-star hospitality for modern times. It feels very different from the Ritz in Paris or the Connaught in London, and I mean that as a compliment. There is room for a different expression of luxury, and this hotel has given it a great deal of thought.

From the moment I arrived, there was attention to things I hadn’t even thought to ask for.

While I was checking in, an attendant noticed the charger in my bag and brought me an adapter because he thought I might need one.

Such a small thing. Except that it saved me from getting upstairs, unpacking my charger, discovering it wouldn’t fit, calling downstairs and waiting. You get the picture.

Someone noticed. Someone thought ahead. Someone acted.

You have to put real care into training your staff for that to happen.

Upstairs, the comforts were all there. Soft, plush towels. Wonderful shampoos and bath products. A bed and pillows that would turn out to be among the most comfortable I have ever slept in. The things that make you very happy to close your hotel room door at the end of a long journey.

That evening, I did something I have never done in my life.

I sat at a bar by myself. A hotel bar, or any bar, for that matter. It had never particularly appealed to me before, but this bar looked inviting. So I took a seat and chatted with Hugo about what interesting cocktail he would recommend.

That conversation led to a Boulevardier (recipe to follow in next post), a chat about Portuguese culture and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

I usually travel alone, and there are times when I feel awkward. There was none of that here. As a woman traveling on her own, I felt safe, welcome and completely at ease. That is something I would want other solo travelers, especially women, to know about.

The food at Attiko, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, deserves a post of its own. It was beyond amazing.

After a wonderful night’s sleep, breakfast brought more examples of the same thoughtful hospitality.

The staff introduce themselves. “Hi, I’m Patricia, and I’ll be your server today.” No name tag needed. You know her name because she has taken a moment to meet you. They have humanized the experience.

I overheard a server ask the guests behind me whether they would like the hot chocolate and matcha they had ordered the day before. A small detail, remembered.

That same thoughtfulness carries through to sustainability. It is part of how the hotel operates, quietly and practically, without shouting from the rooftops.

One lovely example is the breakfast bread service. Rather than placing an entire basket on every table, much of which might go uneaten, they bring the selection to you and ask what you would like. You choose what you’ll enjoy. Less goes to waste. It feels generous and sensible, all at once.

My first impression of ME Lisbon comes down to this: there is intention behind the little things. How you’re greeted. What someone notices. How you sleep. What they remember the next morning.

Those are the things that make five stars feel well deserved.

What is the little thing a hotel has done that you still remember