Arcos Rio Palace

I stayed in this hotel for two nights, and the hotel was selected by the organisation that I visited. Upon arrival and check-in, I was given the key card to a room on the 5th floor. When I arrived there with my luggage, the door of the room was wide open, a ladder leaned against the wall, the fridge had been pulled out of its normal position -- clearly there was maintenance work underway in the room. I returned to the reception, where the news seemed to cause surprise. After a bit of phoning around, they gave me another room on the 10th floor. The morning after my first night, I had some time to catch up with homework (the wifi in the hotel works reliably and at decent speed), and so I stayed in the room the whole morning. This appears to have irked someone, possibly the housekeeping staff. When I returned from a somewhat late breakfast, I noticed that the "do not disturb/please make the room" sign had changed from "do not disturb" to "please make the room". But I was not entirely sure if I had not put it the wrong way round when closing the door. Then, on two occasions maybe 90 minutes apart, the phone rang and when I picked it up and said "hello", the person at the other end hung up. Finally, the door opened, and a cleaner came in. When I indicated I was surprised, she pointed to the sign which was in the position "please make the room" again. This time I was sure someone had turned the sign. I don't know whether it was the housekeeping staff or another guest who turned the sign, and I don't know whether the phone calls came from the housekeepers who wanted to check whether someone was in the room. In any case, I would not want to wish the experience on anyone who needs to get work done in their room. Conclusion: this is not the hotel for business visitors, or perhaps for any visitors.

The hotel had a rather old-fashioned vibe around it, like something from foregone times. All the "bellboys" are in their 70s, almost felt bad letting them carry my stuff, let those poor men retire! Location is good, right in Lapa, parking is a few blocks further and you have to pay for it. Rooms are alright, average, nothing to complain. Breakfast is rather disappointing as I'm vegan (no animal products) and therefore had nothing to eat besides the fruit... veganism is huge in Rio, so it would be good if they update their supply a bit.

came straight back for a school trip. Some guests commented the rooms were small & dated, and that maintenance could be improved·Some guests mentioned bathroom cleanliness could be improved·Some guests noted the beds could be improved.