Yep, that's one reason I spent very little time in the lounge. Lots of loud east coast-ers (gauging from the accent). Attendant won't care. They also happen to be best tippers. TBH, alcoholic beverage servings are not that amazing in the lounge.

Datapoint - Airport express bus (http://www.airportbusservice.com.br/en/linhas) stops here directly from the airport. For return, take a short cab to Hotel Maksoud (roughly 1km from Renaissance) as ride starts from there. Tickets can be purchased on the bus for the return part, if you didnt purchase one at airport for both ways.

If you purchase RT tickets at the airport, is it possible to use a credit card?

Also, how can one determine how long the would take to get to the airport when leaving downtown Sao Paulo at around 5 pm?

Were they hacked?
 

I stayed here and several days after checking out, I received two emails it Portuguese that seem to be from some local government office about a tax and a security guarantee. (In a week or two, I'll be able to have someone from Brazil translate for me and explain what this is about if it's legitimate.) I'm afraid to click on the links. The emails definitely refer to this hotel, which is the only place I used my credit card in Sao Paulo, and were sent to the email address on my Marriott account and reservation.

Can anyone guess what this means? Or does anyone know a safe email contact at the hotel to whom I could forward these emails to report this?

I've stayed in four other hotels in Brazil (none were Marriotts) during the last two months, using the same credit card, and didn't get any such emails. In the meantime, the credit card seems to work fine, although there was no obvious reference to my credit card in the emails. It seems very strange. I've never received any such messages through a hotel in more than three decades of extensive international business travel.

Sorry for the late response.

Yes, I believe I used cc at airport. Cash only when buying on bus.

I haven't travelled by bus in peak traffic. However cab took close to 1.5hrs+ between downtown and airport.

Thank you, very helpful.

I assume you converted some USD to BRL so did you do that in the USA or at the GRU airport?

Edited to ask if this hotel provides bath robes.

I was given a larger corner room that did have bathrobes.

Second on the robes. If you don't get one in the room, ask them. This is a pretty amazing property not only in terms of the location but also their service.

I used an atm to get some BRL. Word of warning - Brazilian atm's are a huge pain so rely on your cc heavily. Most of them will not take international atm cards. Ofcourse the ones in airports and hotels work better with international cards but the fee is very high. IIRC, the bank atm on lower level of Renaissance charged me $7 fee on single transaction.

Some ATMs in Rio, including at GIG, skim credit card numbers, so be careful. Personally I feel more comfortable changing USD cash to reals at airport banks and using a credit card that will protect me as much as possible. There's currently a huge spread on buy versus sell rates, so try not to change more money than you'll use in Brazil.

Be careful too in Brazil about security around whatever ATM or currency exchange you use. Avoid any place that has people hanging around, especially a bunch of young kids. Watch also for people following you after a money or foreign exchange transaction. It could be a mugging setup.

I think your advice is warranted for Rio. My cousin married a Paulista and even he stays quite cautious about Rio. However, SP is like another big city anywhere in the world. Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll be good.

I agree that RIO seems far worse, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

Bringing this thread up again: I currently have two reservations for my upcoming stay in Sao Paulo, one at the Renaissance and another at the Sheraton, where I stayed at the last time when in the city. While that stay was far from a disaster, I did not like the Sheraton that much, mostly because of the very limited service at their lounges and the "whacky" design of the Executive Room I got. Also being a breakfast person I thought that their breakfast was mediocre at best.

For where I need to go it makes only a marginal difference between the two in terms of travel-time and -cost, so this would not be a deciding factor. Also while at the Sheraton I really enjoyed eating at a certain restaurant chain, but that also has a location walkable from the Renaissance as well, so again not a deciding factor.

So my question preferably to those who stayed at both hotels: Would the Renaissance be worth an additional $50 per night, or should I stick with the Sheraton, based solely on lounge offerings, rooms and maybe breakfast-experience?

Thanks for your feedback!

Greetings - Dirk

Mostly stayed at Sheraton but a few months ago in Renaissance.Hard to say would I pay 50usd more but those what you asked are significantly better in Renaissance. Will stay there again in January to redeem Megabonus voucher, since it is now Cat.5 hotel.

Even if your work is halfway between the two hotels (I'm trying to read between the lines here), I would argue that if you have any leisure time or plan to have dinner out of the hotel (and not in your favorite chain place), the Renaissance is much more interesting.

BTW, have you looked at the thread on the SP Sheraton in the SPG forum? IIRC it's rather negative unless you manage to get one of the special Towers-type higher category rooms although I might be thinking of the thread on the SP Hyatt over there.

Actually I spend the weekend there before working the week after, so this certainly is a factor. On the other hand the public transport from the Sheraton to Av. Paulista was not that bad the last time I stayed there, at least during the day.


Yes, I did. And the last time when I stayed at the Sheraton I got one of the Executive Rooms (that come with dedicated check-in and their own lounge) but still was underwhelmed by the room. Being on the third floor certainly did not help with liking it.

All in all I decided to go with the Renaissance. I will report back if I think the difference was worth it - I wonder, however, if the fact the hotel is completely sold out over the weekend will have an impact on my stay...

Greetings - Dirk

Just completed a 3 night stay at the Renaissance SP.

What a property! Loved it. They contacted me prior to checking in with an informative email. Using the SPG App i was able to request an early check-in (10am) as well as a late checkout (4pm), both honored with a friendly smile upon check-in.

As a PLT Premier, I was upgraded (no SNA's) to a corner room on the 21st floor with stunning views of SP from the bathtub and bedroom. Room was clean, bed was super comfortable. Closet had robes but I never use those sorts of things.

The location is great - close to Av Paulista, and I felt rather safe / secure at all times. There are security staff but they aren't overbearing. Definitely close to nightlife areas, and a 10-15 min walk to MASP (Museum) and shopping malls (with some decent restaurants). Also close to some more traditional Brazilian cafes.

GYM: There's a massive Gym on the SP level. It allows public visitors too but it's basically a full size gym and was never very crowded during my stay. Top notch equipment for weightlifting, cardio, abs, etc. It was a real highlight.

EXEC LOUNGE: One of the best I've stayed in ! Full breakfast daily - eggs, meats, cheese, pastries, good coffee machine (Nestle), juices, yoghurts, sodas, water. Omelettes made to order. Happy Hour is 5.30 to 8pm with great food - some more traditional brazilian dishes + pasta, soup, chips, salads. All high quality and included. The great thing is all alcoholic drinks are complimentary, including Caiprinhas / Caipiroskas (various flavors that change daily) beer, wine, sparkling wine. It was just great to sit in the lounge and plan out the night or next day with a nice drink. ^ The staff are super friendly - use some basic Portugese if you can. Some struggled with English but appreciated "olá / obrigado" (which is good advice for all of SP).

Re: some comments above on Loud Americans - this remains. The lounge is rather quiet so you do kinda hear everyone talking. One guy was shouting complaining about a fallen business deal, in a few other situations, children were running around the lounge undeterred. I feel this could happen anywhere but I thought it's worth noting that I noticed (heard) groups of Americans also. Didn't bother me that much as it happens in SPG/Marriott chain hotels...