Copacabana Rio Hotel

Emplacement, staff, service

The room was really large and the balcony was a surprise. I thought I had booked the economy room. The bathtub was a bit dated but the hotel was an excellent value. Breakfast was standard Brazilian tourist hotel, hot buffet of eggs, sausage, fruit, pastries, juice and coffee. Loved the extra pillow and blankets in the closet. Special thanks to the staff who booked some tours for me in Rio. And the great breakfast staff, they were exceptionally friendly.

Pool was not as pictured on website. WiFi not that great in the room.

I stayed in the Superior Single with a balcony. This is a wonderful hotel, but it definitely has some big issues that make me hesitate to recommend it (see below). Very friendly staff, decent breakfast, comfortable beds, and good A/C. The concierge and mini-bar were great extras! This hotel has a lot of charm and I really wanted to love it, again, if not for some major issues.

1) A "favela" tour!!??? The hotel offers several excursions, which is great. However, one of these tours is of a local "famous favela." Poverty IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT!! This made me sick to my stomach, that the hotel would make a profit off peoples' suffering. If there was a single thing that would keep me from staying at this hotel again, this is it. PLEASE REMOVE THIS TOUR from your offerings!! 2) The wifi. This was a *constant* issue throughout my stay. The wifi regularly went out and, at several points, did not work at all for several hours (even though I called the front desk about it several times). I ended up using up my mobile data because the hotel wifi was so horrible. This is by far the worst wifi I've had in Brazil and would also make me hesitate to stay here the next time I come to Rio. 3) Flickering lights. The room was well-lit, but two of the ceiling lights, which were on separate circuits, consistently turned themselves off and on. I didn't want to change rooms or have maintenance in my room because I was already unpacked by the time I discovered the issue, so I just put up with it by not turning on those two circuits. It was still light enough with them off, but barely. This one is not a deal-breaker, but something to look for *before* you unpack and get settled. 4) As others have mentioned, the elevators are somewhat terrifying. Every time I used them, I could hear chains rattling and metal screeching. They seemed to operate okay, but be forewarned.