São Luís 508

I was really disappointed. The bed sheets had cigarette burns and there was a cracked mirror in the room. They said facilities were provided, but there was no air conditioning, Wi-Fi, hairdryer, coffee machine, or mugs.

We paid for what we got, I guess. For the whole week, we had the same sheets and towels. They only change them if you request it a day ahead and pay. We could have paid, but it was our last night when we thought to ask, so it didn’t make sense. For anyone staying a week or longer, they should change them at least once. The place was affordable and okay, but check-in and the rooms gave us a rough start. On the first day we got room 908, whose keypad’s “#1” button was broken and got stuck, so we couldn’t get in. They moved us to another room, but that one had no water. We had to go somewhere nearby to shower, and when we came back, the room was flooded. We asked for 908 again and carried a tool to pull out the number one whenever it stuck. Maybe it was just bad luck at a bad time, and it might not always be like that. What really bothered me was the overnight receptionist’s attitude. The dark skinned woman seemed annoyed whenever I needed the door opened. The fingerprint system worked only sometimes, and when it failed, she gave me attitude. I asked if I could leave a tip for one of the other women working there, and she rudely said she couldn’t accept it. She expected me to speak perfect Brazilian Portuguese and made no effort to understand or help me. Is that how tourists are treated? It’s sad. She clearly hasn’t been to another country in her life. I wish I knew her name so I could call her out here or take a picture of her. Receptionists should be willing to help or guide people properly, not act like they hate their job.

The advertised coffee machine, microwave, and fridge were in the room, but the apartment was uncomfortable. It was tiny, with a bed shoved into a corner, a small bathroom, and a balcony so narrow you could barely stand on it. I wouldn’t recommend it for travelers, though it might suit a business trip with just one night’s stay. The place called itself a hotel, but it operates as an apartment building. There was no front desk support, just rooms described as apartments, which wasn’t what I expected from the listing. Uotel wasn’t named anywhere on the building, so it was hard to find. Everything was written only in Portuguese, making it difficult to work out the cable TV or where to leave towels for replacement. Guest communication was through WhatsApp, a problem if you only have Wi-Fi. The area seemed unsafe. São Paulo generally didn’t feel safe to walk around, especially at night.

When I couldn’t get into my apartment, the receptionists were no help. At one point, I sat on the floor for a full hour waiting for external staff to arrive because the front desk employees refused to come and assist me.