Address Sao Paulo Faria Lima by Intercity

We were first put in an old room that was falling apart and simply dirty. After we complained, we were moved to a newer one, which was acceptable but cheaply renovated. Some of the rooms are disgusting and nowhere near a 4-star standard. After speaking with staff and reading reviews, I got the impression this is a recurring problem and management knows about it. The hotel lists the old, dirty rooms for a rate slightly below the Radisson Blu right next door, which is a true 4-star hotel, apparently hoping guests won’t complain. The disregard for quality is bad enough. Knowingly renting rooms in that condition at those prices is outrageous.

The staff are polite and very helpful, and they’re the only good thing about this place. They can’t fix the problems, though. Residents can be arrogant, the furniture is old, and maintenance is lacking. The internet is so poor that this place is great for a digital detox if you want to be offline. There’s barely any connection anywhere. If you’re lucky enough to get a room at the end of the corridor, you might get dial-up speed, something like 14.4k in the old days. They use outdated Wi-Fi 4 access points, and there aren’t enough of them. There’s only one working elevator for almost 200 rooms. Breakfast starts at 6:30 am, but during breakfast you may wait 15 minutes, and some items like omelets don’t come until after 7 am. If you have an early appointment or work commitment, you could be left hungry. Don’t waste your money here. Go somewhere else. You deserve better.

The rooms are spacious enough for a couple and have balconies. A little remodeling would earn the hotel another star, but the location and price are strong points. The staff are friendly and efficient, and breakfast is good. I like staying at Address because it’s one block from Emporio Santa Maria.

The New Faria Lima area worked well for me, with good restaurants within walking distance. My room was spacious, the shower was roomy, the bed was comfortable, and the staff were friendly. Breakfast was included in the rate and decent, though there wasn’t much variety. The pillows felt too thin for my taste. The TV remote had dead, rusty batteries: the set top box remote let me change channels and volume, but I couldn’t turn the TV off. Still, I had a nice stay.