Novotel RJ Porto Atlântico

The bed was very comfortable and we slept well, and the shower pressure was good. We picked this hotel because it was close to the cruise port, though during Carnaval the road closures meant that wasn't much of an advantage. That's not the hotel's fault. The bathroom layout was poor. The toilet door could be pushed open, so it should either be removed or made to open outward. My husband also fell while coming out of the bathroom because the floor was wet, and the towels provided weren't enough to deal with it. There was a kettle in the room but no cups or coffee, just a couple of herbal tea bags and sugar sachets. We didn't ask for cups or coffee, but they should have been there. The restaurant dinner was quite ordinary, and so was breakfast from the buffet. I'd rate the food 7/10 and the service 8/10. We also had trouble getting a powered adapter despite the sign on the wall, and couldn't keep one for more than two hours without a fee. We have universal adapters, but Brazil's outlets are clearly unusual and ours didn't work. Michelle at reception was very helpful. She said only one adapter was available, and another guest had kept it longer than his allotted time. Everything needs power these days, phones, iPads, watches and other devices, so getting by without an adapter is difficult. Michelle eventually found another one. I filled in a form and returned it within two hours as requested. The next day, the staff on duty were rude and unhelpful when I asked again. They couldn't say when one might be available or who had one. I went back at 10 am to speak to the manager, and one of the staff came back with two adapters, different from the ones from the night before. One didn't fit, but we could use the other, and this time there was no form. It was a poor experience for a city hotel. Please provide more adapters, as I understand some people steal them, and set up a sign-out process. That wouldn't cost much. There was also a mix-up with our room account. We had paid for the room in advance, but no hold had been put on for expenses, so we had to arrange one separately before we could charge drinks and dinner to the room.

I had a long business stay here. I want to mention some excellent employees: Diego, Michelle, Mariana, Ariane, Erick, Raphael from Ibis, and a few others whose names I can't remember. My only complaint is about housekeeping. I was working nights and getting back late, but there was noise in the mornings, and on some days they didn't clean my room. The restaurant food was sometimes cold too. On rare occasions the meat was undercooked, or the chicken seemed to have been fried earlier and just reheated.

The room was already dusty and dirty, with grime on the floor and furniture as soon as I walked in. The towels had strange stains, and the floor was sticky all over. When I complained to room service, all they said was, “OK, we'll send you a new towel.” This was my first time staying at a Novotel, and it'll definitely be my last. I'd tell everyone to stay away. Probably the worst experience I've had on any trip so far.

We chose this Novotel in Porto Atlantico after switching from ibis Rio De Janeiro Barra Da Tijuca, and paid for an executive suite for extra comfort. I’ve stayed at Novotels for both work and holidays, so this was a real letdown. The suite wasn’t clean, and after the first night the two pillows each of us had were taken away, leaving us with one each. The hotel said it was fully booked and needed them, then gave us ledlinning to put under the pillows. The water was only cool, not hot, and there was no way to make coffee despite the website saying otherwise. It was our worst stay in this beautiful city.