lovtofly3

On my last stay a few weeks ago I was upgraded to an exec. corner suite.
Room had been remodeled and featured new bedding and carpet.

Bathroom also had a tub/shower combo that looked newer than the old shower and stainless steal sinks in most rooms .

Room was great after a number of diappointing stays that featured tired club room.

Club was the same,and featured food items that were similiar from past visits.
Hours were cut back a bit and lounge is only open for brkfst till 1030am and 4-7pm in the evening.

As said here before there is a is big disperaty in the various rooms here in this hotel.

Good Luck

couscous

Calling my Ambassador right now !

sapguy

I was told that there are some drug scenes near the hotel, in the favela nearby, that makes staying at the Sheraton Rio a dicey proposition, especially if you are planning on bringing your family.

Any truth to that?

pb9997

Rio becomes a difficult place for foreigners, alone or with families, specially when away from main avenues/touristic places. Drug areas are not difficult to find... as long as there are users there's drug pushers, a Rio authority claimed today

In the hotel premises & hotel's beach guests are safe. If getting in/out of hotel it's advisable to do it by car/cab, not walking. And never carrying anything that might attracts attention: fancy mobiles, cameras, credit cards, etc. Be always prepared to hand it all out to a robber and you'll never be disappointed if you find one.

Other options are hotels in the Atlantic Avenue/Copacabana and Vieira Souto/Ipanema.


Cheers

TomT

Greetings:

Have just completed a three night stay at the Barra (11/26-27-28 )

If you are reading this you are most likly comparing the two Starwoods in Rio

as I did before going there. Here is my report on the Barra and a run down on what I saw at the Sheraton Towers when I went there for lunch.

We had reserved a car/cab on the internet to take us to Barra.The cost for two was 68.00USD, come out of baggage and right in front of you are three counters, the yellow one was our cab co.(Doing on internet allowed me to use CC)

Drive at 11 AM took about 45 min to hotel (tipping is not a must but am sure it is appreciated)

The Sheraton Barra is located right across from the beach, lobby to water about 200+ yards, a cross walk takes you across the highway but, watch yourself!

Checkin A : They had a Starwood Counter but no one behind it, short wait.
The check in was frindly, professional and would have been fast except the young lady had to check to see what suites were set (Love that word...suite!) We were asked if we wanted points or......

Upgrade and Room B : upgraded to what I would call a Jr Suite, they called it Ex suite.
Master BR, LR with small area for dinning off it, wet bar, nice balconey looking at ocean (200-300 yards away) Bathroom, was large enough, tub and shower combined in rather a strange way, had to step up two foot or so to get in tub.....all in all had a little feel of the 80's? Lighting was rather poor.

On the whole just fine...but...perhaps a feeling that it might be time for an overhual?

No club........some how I had thought they had a club, will have to reread a thread or two and see why I got that idea.

I did not use the "gym", looked good.

Pool also looked good, as I mentioned before Ocean right across the road, a very nice beach.

They had one place to eat, went down to eat but does not open until 7:30 PM. THe prices looked a wee bit high. ( Nothing else in walking distance, hiking distance, yes.)

Room service was excellent. Thirty min. or less, both nights we used it they rolled in a table, food was just fine. (need not tip, they included a service charge....but, I always wonder...so I tip.)

All service was frendly,good.

I had room 507, Ex suite upgrade from basic, lowest price listed....R386.62, about 234.00USD all in.

Overall...........Nice basic hotel, nothing outstanding,ocean across the street a plus.......nothing wrong,but, nothing to write home about.

Notes:

Location...when I was trying to come up with which Starwood to stay in I read a lot about both were not in the center of things....where the 'action" was. That is true, but if you want to stay in a Starwood, thats it. Both hotels call for using cabs....unless you are a hiker and then the Towers might have an edge...but, you and the yellow cab will become friends.

A word on cabs, both hotels have hotel cars/cabs lined up outside the lobby door, if you just ask for a cab the hotel (Both) will lead you to the black hotel cabs......100 % more for same ride in almost the same size car..(Example , Yellow cab Barra Hotel to Sheraton Towers, cost for two R26.00, hotel cab/car R55.00 ) Yellow cabs have meter and they use it...tipping not a must...but...Oh, the hotel people do not push you on taking the hotel car, if you ask them to call a yellow cab they do so with a smile.

A word on the Sheraton Towers........none stay comments.
We had lunch at theTowers, had to pick up our soccer/football tour there , they did not pick up at Barra. We walked around, had excellent lunch over looking pool and ocean.

The Towers has a decent pool, steps leading down to a nice beach, is larger then Barra, feeling of being five star to three star?

Three eating places, bar...........

About it, now that I know that no matter where I want to go I will have to cab it I would stay at the Sheraton Towers next .

A great city, never felt any worry about security, enjoy...............

ajnaro

The former Towers (now Hotel & Resort) does have a club lounge, but no select standard suites. What they call is suite for upgrade purposes is really an L-shaped room that is a little bigger than a standard room because of the L. They do have real suites for money, but not for upgrades as far as my experience goes.

schley

Couple questions:

1. Anyone have any recent opinions on this property?

2. Is a metered taxifor airport transport to the hotel fine? It appears on the website that they offer a transcopass service (?) for $45, but the taxi estimate is $45 as well. Any opinions?

3. Lounge hours and is it open 7 days now?

4. Any opinions on the spa?

claes059

Will be here in July/August. On the site I notice rates for the taxi and transcopass service may vary. So I guess the rates will be different.
I used the Rio shuttle to and from the airport last time, 2 years ago, and it was ok and very economic.
Perhaps its a good idea to contact the hotel concerning these options?

ajnaro

Here’s the point of view of a local resident. If you speak Portuguese and know the terrain, local yellow taxis are fine for ordinary day-to-day use. If not, you run a risk of getting cheated, but the chances of anything major (such as a robbery) are virtually zero. The same cannot be said of the airport buses, which are the target of local thugs from time to time. The yellow taxis all run on natural gas and have huge tanks in the back, so most baggage must be placed inside the car. There is a small charge for each bag. In general, when arriving with baggage I use the airport taxis. They are about twice the cost of a yellow taxi, but are much larger, cleaner, more reliable, and accept credit cards. I would not use the Sheraton’s so-called car service, which strikes me as outrageously expensive.

Rock Harders

I've stayed at this property three or four times over the past several years, most recently in February 2011. The cost from GIG airport to the hotel in one of the special airport radio taxis (larger, nicer vehicles than regular yellow taxi) is about R$ 90. The hotel's own private car service is a ripoff but maybe a necessary evil at some points during one's stay at this property as it is quite isolated. The pool area is very nice for taking some sun during the day and/or having a drink at night.

lovtofly3

Hard to question a local and not speaking portuguese.

I just want to add in April I took a yellow taxi outside the arrivals hall,no problem.
It was my 4-5th time taking one to Sheraton Rio.never a problem
The cost was ~50 Reias,seems like it went up a bit.I always travel light so luggage is not an issue.

Just make sure you let driver know you want the Shearton Leblon,not Sheraton Barra.
Usually take the rio shuttle back,book through hotel conceirge. much cheaper.

In April brkfst in lounge was fine,in fact good for a lounge brfast and helpful staff.
In the PM offerings had been cut back,still had comp beer,wine and the caprihanas,but snacks had been trimmed down.

Hours vary everytime I'm there.

ajnaro

If you feel comfortable taking a yellow taxi, you can walk out to the main road in front of the Sheraton and hail one that happens to be passing by. I wouldn't take any of the cabs that may be waiting across the street as they are likely looking for an innocent tourist to rip off. Or you could call one of the cooperatives such as Coopataxi 3288-4343 ‎or Libertaxi 2594-5533. Of course, it is very unlikely that either the telephone receptionists or the drivers themselves will know any English. Try asking someone from the front desk to write your destination on a card and show it to the driver. To return, take along a card with the Sheraton's logo and address. That strategy seems to work in China and might work here as well.

trojanman

Planning a trip to GIG over Labor Day weekend. I am an SPG Gold, but typically prefer to stay at high-end luxury properties for my leisure trips. According to the Luxury Hotels forum, there are slim pickins when it comes to Rio.

There is a fantastic cash + points redemption rate at the Sheraton Rio for my trip dates, but after reading so many mixed reviews I am hesitant to book.

One of the complaints on the luxury hotel forum is that the property is tired and in disrepair. The photos on the SPG website tell a different story. Can anyone confirm the status of the hard product? What about the service; still mixed reviews?

If the Sheraton is a no-go, and I don't feel like spending $1,000+ at the Fasano, and the Copa Palace is old and stodgy, then what else is left?

ajnaro

The Sheraton is Jekyll-and-Hyde – it has some very nice rooms and some very lousy ones. What you get depends on what you reserve, your SPG status, and the occupancy. You could try Marriott or Sofitel if you want Copacabana. There is also the ex-Méridien, now Windsor Atlantica, at the very beginning of Copa. If you want a more modern international luxury hotel, try Caesar Park in Ipanema. Caesar Park, Copacabana Palace, and Fasano are the only real luxury hotels in Rio, although Fasano seems more hype than substance. They are all very expensive.

lovtofly3

Agree, I've had some very nice upgrades,but have also had my share of abused rooms.
I think a lot of the floors have been remodeled within the last few years.