Hotel Start Inn

The location felt dangerous, and the bathroom was dirty. I went to sleep after noticing animal hairs on the pillow and bed. When I woke up, there was a CAT in the room. It had peed on my suitcase and left all my clothes stinking. I contacted the person in charge, but they did nothing to help. That cat may still be there now. A disastrous stay. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

The staff treated me with so much care and attention, and did everything they could to help. That made me feel at home and comfortable, which is why I gave it five stars despite the location feeling odd and scary after dark. The hotel is in a central area, around a 10-minute walk from República metro station. With downtown São Paulo run down, I’d recommend taking an Uber from a station at night rather than walking around there or elsewhere downtown. They make it clear in the description that this is a simple hotel. It’s being renovated and modernized, so there’s no minibar or air conditioning. I didn’t miss those much, especially the AC, since the place was airy and cool even in the middle of summer.

If you need peace and quiet to work or hold a meeting, this place won't do. There was noise in the hallway and outside, and staff were often on the phone or answering the gate, which added to it. Breakfast needs to be organized faster. It starts around 5:30 or so, and the dishes and other noise are a lot. It’s listed as a hotel and described as quiet, but sadly my stay wasn’t good and I left early. It felt more like a motel.

The room didn’t feel like a family hotel at all. There was a supply of condoms in the previous room, and people were constantly coming and going. We chose it because the price was much lower than usual and wanted somewhere to rest with family, but I’d think very carefully before booking. The bathroom was dirty, there was no shower enclosure, and the towels were orange and stained. The sheets smelled bad, and the fan was so dusty that when we turned it on, dust fell all over the bed and made us sneeze. The kitchen was dusty too, with nowhere to wash dishes. There was a loud bar downstairs, and the windows wouldn’t close. Since our room was on the second floor and there were only women in our group, that made us quite worried. The way it was presented as a hotel was ridiculous, and I regretted coming as soon as we arrived.