Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel and Resort Review

We traveled here for Carneval and it was our first time in Rio. As a group of three this was our preferred option because the Sheraton offers triple occupancy on points without additional cost.

Overall we have been very happy with our stay.

The JW Marriott is better located for Carneval and generally overall. However, we generally did not have any major issues concerning the location with one caveat.

During Carneval the street along the beachfront is closed to traffic, which means that you might have to go around th mountains in the "wrong" or longer direction to get back toi the hotel. At other times of year, I presume that this is not an issue.

I did not in any way feel concerned about the nearby favela or its residents on the beach.

The view from the club lounge

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the hotel while approaching from Ipanema

The view of the beach

Leblon itself has its own infrastructure with bars, restaurants, etc. However you need to walk there or take a taxi. If you are city smart, walking at night also felt safe. Otherwise it is a cheap Uber ride.

I had booked a room with two double beds on points. I received this type of room on one of the Club floors.

Before arrival I had requested several times for early check in. I am an Ambassador so Your 24 should generally come into play.

We arrived at 03:30 (morning) due to the airline changing the flight schedule even earlier. At reception we requested an early check in and were directly told that this was not possible. I then pointed to my Ambassador status. I was told I could get a room for 350 USD. However they could not give me a room und Your 24. They were also not willing to commit to giving me a room at any time before check in. It ended up being a very confrontational discussion with the night manager. In the end I achieved nothing and accepted my fate.

We then went out to Leblon and started the Carnaval celebrations. We returned around 07:30 and the day staff had arrived. They quickly acccomodated us with a room.

I was not happy with how they dealt with this. I am considering writing to the Ambassador team, but I doubt I will waste my time.

The bathroom had single-use shampoos, etc. Iniitally they had too few towels for three persons, but that was corrected after an in-app message. The shower pressure was sufficient.

The beds were sufficient. I thought they were wide enough for sleeping with a second person.

My friend complained that the air conition never got the room below 21 C no matter how cold you set it. I normally always feel warm, but did not have this issue in the room myself.

The sound insulation is perhaps not the best, but it is also the loudest time of the year. You can hear the crashing of the waves to some extent.

I found there to be plenty of charging points.

The hotel brought me an additional cheese plate and a bottle of wine to the room. 

The Club lounge is largely empty.

Sometimes they have some chips in this lounge. Largely you can just use it to get soft drinks and coffee.

We had breakfast in the breakfast room on Floor 0. It was extensive, with an omelette station. I did not find everything i wanted, but was generally satisfied.

The evening club lounge is on ground 0. It is a bit of a zoo, the offering is just okay (better than in North America, but worse than Europe). There is a bartender that serves the drinks too slowly. I would rather pour my own wine or grab my own water.

There was no issue in taking three persons into the lounge.

As a lounge alternative you can apparently have breakfast in the restaurant on the 26th, which is near the Club Lounge.

I did not really get any value from the resort fee beyond the two free drinks. It was too hot to play tennis or ride a bicycle and I did not have a car. Advertising internet access is a joke in 2023.