Ritz Copacabana Hotel

The staff really made this stay, always around for questions, requests, or recommendations, even little ones. Special thanks to Victor and Charlotte at the front desk and the morning breakfast team. We also appreciated the champagne and plastic flutes they surprised us with on NYE. The hotel is a block from Copacabana beach, and the rooms were clean and a decent size. The elevator needs a room key, which I liked. Breakfast was fine, and street noise didn't bother me, though light sleepers might notice it. Our first three days had a string of room problems. The shower head sprays like a waterfall, so it's hard to keep your hair dry, and ours was faulty at first, spraying water all over, including the floor. Maintenance replaced it quickly. The AC also wasn't working properly, and with the heat outside it became a big issue by day three. Maintenance couldn't fix it, so we changed rooms. The first room smelled of sewage when we arrived, probably from the heat and poor air circulation. After the move, things were much better, apart from a toilet that kept running and then wouldn't flush. That was fixed promptly too. We paid a fair price and generally had a good time at the Ritz.

We felt robbed by this terrible experience and hope this helps others avoid it. We booked online, but a glitch on the hotel's website created a duplicate booking. At check-in, the front desk said not to worry and that the manager would help when she returned from her Carnaval holiday. When we followed up as instructed, they refused any refund, saying things were too busy because of Carnaval. Even though the policy says cancellations are allowed with 24 hours' notice, they wouldn't refund the second or third nights we stayed. The air conditioner wasn't working well on our first day. Staff showed us three other rooms, and the hotel was practically empty, but none had properly working AC. We checked ourselves and found the filters and consoles extremely dirty, which seemed like a health concern. We emailed management and got no help. We had booked thinking this was a Ritz hotel, but it has no connection to the Ritz chain. The whole stay was awful. Please don't book here.

Breakfast was plentiful and delicious, and the staff were excellent. Victor even ran after our taxi when my husband left his hat behind. The room was modern, comfortable, and a good size, with a partial sea view we hadn't expected, possibly a free upgrade. The Ritz Copacabana is a smaller hotel, so breakfast and the pool never felt crowded. It's one block back from the beach, about a 20-second walk, and a little quieter than the hotels on the main road. We still had lovely side views of the beach and Sugarloaf. We loved our stay. It was well run and good value for the comfort and location.

The AC units were filthy, and although we asked several times to have them checked and cleaned, nothing was done. Staff tried moving us to other rooms, but those units were just as dirty. There was also a website glitch that led to us double-booking a room. We explained what happened, but the hotel still refused to refund our money. A very disappointing stay. We won't come back or recommend this place.