Selina Aurora Sao Paulo

The common areas were great, though there was no sunlight in them. The rooms and lockers were good too, but the bathroom needed ventilation because it was moldy. It seems to be a problem at all Selina locations. I stayed over New Year's and there was nobody else there, which should have been a warning sign. I didn't receive the welcome drink I was promised, and service was average. The kitchen was open sometimes and closed at other times, with no explanation. The area was okay and close to major attractions, in a neighborhood with gay bars. As a woman on my own, I didn't feel comfortable there after dark at all. It would be better with friends. Management still hasn't replied to me about the bed bugs I found in my room, which I found pretty slack.

The staff were friendly, but it took several attempts before they found me a vacant room that was actually habitable. The building itself seemed old and run-down. The toilet leaked, and they dealt with it by putting towels around it. That made me afraid to use the towels. It felt like they cared more about making the murals look good on Instagram than making the place nice to stay in. The walls were paper-thin, so most nights I felt like I was sleeping out on the street. Music thumped from the bars across the road until 5 AM.

The location looked central, but I didn't feel safe there at night. There were a lot of sketchy people hanging around the hotel, and staff should warn guests, especially women traveling alone, about fake delivery riders on bikes. The other Selina in Sao Paulo is in a much better area, near Batman Alley in trendy Pinheiros, with lots of bars and restaurants within walking distance. If you want to stay at a Selina in Sao Paulo, I'd pick that one over Selina Aurora, though recent reviews mention bedbugs there too, which kept me away. If you're thinking of staying in Sao Paulo for a week or a month, I'd book a shorter stay first and extend only if you're comfortable with the hotel and area. This hotel didn't measure up to other Selina Hotels I've stayed at. My first room was dirty, with stained sheets and a full trash bin, and the second wasn't much better. The place wasn't very clean and had a strange smell. One night I opened the bathroom door, turned on the light, and found two cockroaches. The pillows were terrible, and I didn't get one good night's sleep. The walls were paper-thin: I heard people in the hallway, the person next door snoring, and even his toilet flush, which was insanely loud. The staff seemed unmotivated, and the cleaners didn't seem to come every day. I couldn't feel the Selina spirit of meeting like-minded travelers or digital nomads. It felt more like a regular hotel with older guests, and the communal areas were small and often deserted. The Wi-Fi kept cutting out, which isn't great for a place calling itself a coworking hotel. A new building was going up right behind Selina, and jackhammering started around 7 each morning. I couldn't make work calls over that noise and had to go elsewhere to call clients. That's temporary and not something I blame Selina for, but if you need to work on calls, be aware of the noise level as of February 2024.

The staff and services were great, and inside the hotel felt extremely safe, especially with the security guards. There are lots of chances to socialize in the common areas. Outside, though, the area is extremely dangerous. I was attacked three times, and on the third occasion my phone was stolen. I strongly recommend that hotel staff warn tourists about gangs on bikes, including people dressed as delivery workers, and tell them to avoid going out after a certain time. If someone had warned me beforehand, my stay in Sao Paulo would have been much better.