After a two hour flight delay we arrived at the Lisbon airport at 8:46PM and immediately texted Stephanie that we would be arriving soon. Unfortunately, the airline lost our luggage so we needed to wait at the airport and file paperwork. We informed Stephanie and she reminded us that there would be a 15 Euro fee if checked in after 10PM. We told her the airline lost our luggage but she didn't seem to care. Instead, she suggested that one of us leave the airport without the other and pay two separate taxi fares so that we could check in on time. After sorting everything out at the airport we arrived at the apartment at exactly 10:15PM and she said we were late and would need to pay her the 15 Euro.
1. While we understand some times are less convenient than others, we paid money for the apartment; you have signed up to be a host. There should not be an additional late fee.
2. Even if that late fee is in place, it should not be enforced so rigidly. Fifteen minutes is hardly late and it shows a complete lack of empathy that after losing our luggage we were still forced to pay that fee.
The apartment itself was stylish, cool and in a good neighborhood. The balcony was great for cocktails at happy hour and had a nice view that was unfortunately obstructed by scaffolding next door. The scaffolding also made a lot of noise because of the wind, which made the outdoor space unappealing.
Overall this property was more or less as advertised and would make for a good place to stay in Lisbon if the check-in policy was amended and the price reduced for the scaffolding.