JAM Lisbon: a surprisingly original, great value hotel in Lisbon
Lisbon has become one of Europe’s tourist (and digital nomad) hotspots.
In fact, there is so much content out there about Lisbon at the moment, that, while I have been visiting a few times recently, will refrain from writing about the city itself.
However, I recently had the chance to stay at a hotel there that I think deserves a post on its own.
To be clear, I have no commercial link or interests in this hotel and fully paid the standard rate to stay there a couple of nights.
There were so many original and unique elements, though, that I couldn’t pass the opportunity to share my experience in case someone here is looking for ideas for his or her next trip to the Portuguese capital!
JAM Lisbon Hotel
Av. 24 de Julho 80, 1200-870 Lisboa
https://www.jamhotels.eu/lisbon
I have to confess I had never heard about JAM Hotels, but the Lisbon one is not the first. The concept originated in Brussels, where the first JAM Hotel opened in 2020, with Lisbon being its second location.
This small network is managed by a Belgian company called Nelson Group, which specializes in environmentally conscious architectural developments. In fact, the JAM Lisbon claims to be a “passive hotel” in the sense that it has been designed to have such a reduced environmental footprint (consuming 80% less energy than the average building of this sort) that is close to carbon neutrality.
This 109-room hotel, which opened in 2023, was redeveloped at the site of a former office building on the banks of the Tagus river.
In fact, while it is not in the heart of downtown, I did like the location. It is right on the road that follows the river all the way from the city center to the Torre de Belem, one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
And while the hotel is not right on the water (there is a road, a railway and the embankment in between), many of the rooms and, of course, the rooftop terrace, have views of the river.
This is an axis of communication which has numerous tram lines going through it (and even a railway).
The famous Time Out market, with its many casual eating spots and the picturesque neighbourhood of Chiado are both within walking distance.
JAM Lisbon has 109 rooms and a contemporary aesthetic. Although it is, by no means, “corporate modern”, it is something else!
There is a sort of “raw” aesthetic throughout. Lots of exposed concrete and an artsy non-conventional decor. Some parts of the hotel resemble a rather hipsterish co-working space rather than a hotel, an I don’t mean it in a bad way! There is also an open courtyward at the back.
The rooms at JAM Lisbon
So, let’s go check the rooms!
But, first, another positive surprise: each floor is fitted with this small coffee and water station. It is a sort of kitchenette, but just with the sink, and some coffee machines. So guests have complimentary coffee and water here at any time. Nice!
Next surprise: it’s not just the room decor and style, which is, certainly, unconventional, but something which by now was already pretty much expected, but the whole room set up.
I was on my own, but this is certainly a very interesting configuration for families traveling together with kids. Have you seen the piece of furniture opposite the bed? Let’s see what this is…
These are, in fact, bunk beds combined with some storage space. But not just any plain bunk beds, they have a sort of modular structure. And even if no one is sleeping there, the lower one can be used as a sofa.
The bathroom is also quite original. It is actually quite spacious and, perhaps influenced by the local Portuguese traditions, covered in these blue tiles you can see below.
The use of natural materials throughout is another distinctive characteristic of JAM Lisbon. In the next set of pictures I have tried to capture from up close what I mean by this. You can see by yourself the different textures and materials: the ceramic vases (complete with inspirational messages, because, why not?), the cork-upholstered chair and the earthy tones and shapes of, otherwise banal, elements such as the coat hangers or the bathroom shelves.
I didn’t have lunch or dinner at the hotel, although I did try the breakfast, which was pretty good. To be honest, the buffet didn’t have a huge amount of items, but it had the right ones and of the right quality. The croissants and the “pasteis de nata”, in particular, were excellent!
JAM Lisbon Rooftop
And, now, let’s take the lift to the top floor, because this is another ofJAM Lisbon’s highlights.
JAM Lisbon has a rooftop terrace with a bar, a chillout area (complete with a ping pong table and large screen) and a small swimming pool. I has also pretty good views of the Tagus river and the iconic “25th of April Bridge” (aka, the Lisboan Golden Gate bridge).
JAM Lisbon as an art venue
And yet another surprise was awaiting at JAM Lisbon!
It turns out the hotel is also used, on occasion, as an exhibition space. And it is easy to see why!
In this particular case it was a pop-up art exhibition and fair which had taken over a large part of the premises. The style, much in line with the overall hotel theme: lots of natural, earthy materials, shapes and textures, whether ceramics or textiles.
Some two dozens artists took over JAM Lisbon, not just the common areas, but also the whole 1st floor of the hotel. It was quite an experience to be able to go room by room, checking what was in each of them.
These were just normal rooms, like the one we have seen before, which had been turned into an exhibition space. The artists were also there, ready to explain their creations to any visitors that showed up. Hard to find a better setting for this type of event!
So, overall, I was quite positively impressed by the experience at JAM Lisbon, and the prices (at least at the time of my visit) are also pretty competitive. I visit many hotels throughout the course of the year and, while some are really nice, it is rare to find some truly original properties. This was one of them!
Service was also excellent during the whole experience, both at the reception and at the rooftop bar (one of the bar tenders even refused to charge me on account that the bottle was finished before he was able to top up the glass to the right level).
Perhaps the only thing that was not so great is the fact that lighting is very subdued, to the point that sometimes its a bit dark, but I guess this is aligned with the energy efficiency goal and, to be fair, it is not a big inconvenience.
So, to sum it up: if you are looking for some hotel that is truly unique and different during your next trip to Lisbon, a proper unpretentious designer hotel, do check JAM Lisbon, definitely!