Casa del lado Santiago Providencia

The staff were friendly, respectful, and ready to help, and the hotel is easy to reach by metro. But Casa and Boutique are different hotels, so I’d recommend that Brazilians choose the Boutique. My room at Casa had no window, which was frustrating because the Booking listing’s marketing focuses on Boutique and gave me expectations that Casa didn’t meet. The outdoor area at Casa was also quite dirty and didn’t seem to be cleaned regularly. The site says breakfast is included, but it’s only continental breakfast. The full buffet costs extra. That kind of bundled sale would be considered wrong in Brazil, though I assume it may not be illegal in another country.

The location is good, and the staff are friendly. That’s about it. Shared bathrooms had cold or lukewarm water and usually no toilet paper, and the door handle often stuck in your hand. The wooden floors creaked with every step. My room was cold and noisy, with a sliding window that barely kept anything out, no heating, and neighbors you could hear. Breakfast was just white rolls, jam, and bad coffee. I’m glad I booked only one night. I’ll spend the rest of my nights somewhere else.

The shower was the worst part. The water stayed freezing even after ten minutes, despite the hotel telling us to wait five. This kept happening throughout our four-day stay in the middle of the Chilean winter. On the second day, I asked for a room in the neighboring hotel just so my family could shower, and they kindly let us use one. The problem was still there the next day, but staff said the hotel was full and they couldn’t do anything. Leaving guests without a working shower for days is unacceptable. The high ratings on travel sites did not match what we experienced at all. There’s no reception of its own: you ring a bell and wait for someone from the hotel next door to open the door. We hadn’t been told this or given clear instructions, so we stood outside not knowing what to do. As compensation, they offered us four drinks and a few rolls for our group of four, without explaining what it was until it arrived. One waiter, a man with glasses and braces, stood by our table watching us and seemed visibly bothered by our presence. He talked and laughed about us with a waitress. She seemed new and was very kind, though it was clear he was telling her to keep an eye on us. The receptionist had offered us a choice of seats, so we picked the empty room at the back. That same waiter then told us we couldn’t stay there. We got up embarrassed and moved elsewhere. Breakfast was the same every day, just bread and jam, and the cups were poorly washed. At checkout, they claimed there was still a payment due even though everything had been paid through the agency Decolar. They kept asking if we had a card to pay. Luckily we had the receipts. It gives the impression they may try charging other guests again too, so check carefully when leaving. This was the worst hotel experience I’ve had with a booking through Decolar. I’m sharing it to warn others who, like me, trusted the high rating and positive comments. It didn’t reflect reality at all.

It’s well located, but there’s no sign saying it’s a hostel, or even a sign on the building. The shower is only lukewarm, and they don’t provide hand towels. Noise from people coming in and lights they left on kept waking us up.