OYO Hotel Castro Alves, São Paulo

There’s no air conditioning in the rooms.

It seems peaceful, and it’s fine for a night or for anyone wanting to stay downtown. Just don’t expect luxury.

The location is good, the price is affordable, and the beds were reasonably comfortable. But I wouldn’t want to stay more than one night because the rest was stressful. I booked a room with air conditioning, but when I arrived they put me in one with a ceiling fan. Staff insisted I’d booked a room without air conditioning, even though the app clearly said otherwise. There was a room with air conditioning available, but they wouldn’t move me there. They said they’d refund me if I didn’t want to stay, but finding another hotel at the last minute is extremely difficult. Trying to get a refund brought even more trouble. They kept telling me to call other people responsible for the hotel, and those people sent me back to the staff I’d already spoken with. It was an endless back and forth, with everyone passing the problem around until I either got tired and stayed in the room as it was or left and asked for a refund. The lock on my room door was faulty, and I got stuck outside several times, spending minutes trying to open it. The people in charge already knew about the issue but apparently did nothing. The bathroom tap gave me very strong electric shocks when I turned on the shower, so I had to use a towel to open it. The shock was otherwise too strong. If you decide to stay here anyway, I’d suggest coming when it’s cold. In hot weather, a ceiling fan that barely moves air could make you feel ill. Hotel staff also laughed and talked loudly in the corridors as if they were at home, without considering the guests.

On 28/11/24, São Paulo’s airports went into chaos, with 27 flights at Congonhas and 15 at Guarulhos. I made 30 calls, and the hotels were full. Reviews of OYO were terrible, but for what we needed that night, this place turned out to be wonderful. We didn’t want to spend the rest of the night at Guarulhos Airport. We arrived at 03:40 and left at 9 a.m. The room rate was very cheap. Ana gave us excellent service. The room was tidy and everything was clean, including the sheets, bedspread, and pillow. The bathroom was very small, but clean and working, and the electric shower worked well. There was air conditioning and a fan in the room. The mattress was a little hard, but it was good enough to stretch out and rest. It was quiet, with no noise. There’s no breakfast, though a bakery across from the hotel looks nice.