Plan to be in Lisbon on September for 4/5 days. I have been able to obtain great rates through my wife's employment at both of these hotels. Is someone familiar with either of this hotels and can help me make the best choice?

I was at a convention at the Marriot. it seemed up and above the "action" and museums. The Corinthian looks like a nicer place from what I see on their website.

Hi, Ruben, lincasanova is right that the Marriott is not in a terrific location (unless you are planning to spend your time at either the Catholic University or the Santa Maria Hospital, which I assume you are not). It's about a 10-15 minute walk to the metro and everything is easy to get to from there. But the neighborhood is not charming, though there are some nice little streets on the way to the metro with food and drink and a few shops.

The Corinthian is also in a very busy non-touristy part of Lisbon. There is a "real" neighborhood on one side of it, though, and the other things nearby are the Sete Rios bus station and Jardim Zoologico metro stop (and the Jardim Zoologico (zoo) also).

I think the Corinthian is a bit fancier and bigger. The Marriott is pretty standard issue Marriott -- you could be anywhere in the world, but the quality is good. I've never stayed in the Corinthian.

bottom line is that both are fine, you'll need to take a metro or cab to get to any of the tourist places with either of them, but the Corinthian is a bit closer to downtown while the Marriott is a bit closer to the airport.

Boa viagem!

I've only been to Lisbon once but the mistake I made is booking a hotel too far from the downtown area. You'll have a much better time if you can walk out the door and be near cafes and restaurants and street activity that the main squares downtown offer.

If you do choose one of these hotels, cabs are inexpensive and plentiful. I never had to wait more than a minute for one to stop.

I just want to add that I agree with Adrienne that it's very nice to be right in the middle of the beautiful old part of Lisbon. In my opinion, the city did itself a huge disservice by slicing through lots of old neighborhoods with elevated highways and streets developed with strings of charm-less new hotels. I always recommend to friends who are going to Lisbon that they stay somewhere in between Marques de Pombal and the river because they can avoid all of that mess.

Laurie

What do you think about the Dom Pedro Hotel? Are you familiar with it?

Hi, Ruben,

I haven't stayed in the hotel, but I've eaten in their Italian restaurant with a very nice outdoor terrace. The hotel is a pretty new, bling-filled glitzy place. I think it's the hotel Bill Clinton stayed in at some point. I'm sure it's comfortable, very modern, all the amenities.

The location is probably better than the other two in some ways, in that it's closer to a "real" neighborhood (Campo d'Ourique and Amoreiras), but it's further from a metro stop (about equi-distant from Rato and marques de Pombal, probably a little less than a kilometer to either).

Hope this helps a bit. L.

Hotels in Lisbon give very good value for the money. Even places in the very center of what I would consider the main tourist areas have options far less expensive then what you would expect to pay in many locations in major cities in Europe.
We have been to Portugal three times. We have always stayed in the very center of the tourist areas for example in Baixa, Chaido and right on Rossio.
For the time you are going to be there, I wouldn't stay in the area outside of the places you are going to spend most of your time.
Part of the charm of Lisbon is being able to walk right outside your hotel to Rossio or Rua Augusta or the Santa Justa and just watch people. To be able to take a few steps and just watch people at a sidewalk cafe where there are crowds of people and something is always happening.
As Adrienne says. For very little money I wouldn't make the mistake of staying on the outskirts. It is not that the neighborhoods are not charming. It is just that in the short amount of time you are in Lisbon you should be very close to things you most want to see.
But is one opinion.