Duque Center Hotel

I was left with last minute booking as there was no room available in other hotels in the city (not sure if this is true or I was just served by a very bad travel counselor). I arrived past midnight, check in was smooth and the so-called bell boy did not even bother to help me when I was struggling with my luggage. Plus : Staff in the morning is very helpful; it's a basic hotel, just like an airport hotel, room is wide,....uhm...and quiet Minus : tiny twin bed, I am 176 (5'9"), 73 kg and I felt like about to fall off the bed all the time, worse: (very) hard pillow, after a 15 hour flight it was a torture I barely slept that night. Dark hallways in the night lights do not turn on automatically one needs to find the switch in pitch dark. Breakfast : very minimum. Location: around the hotel is practically dead at night, nightlife doesn't exist (some nocturnal activities two blocks away if you know what I mean), a potentially nice but unfortunately now it is a rather run down Historical Center

Basic hotel. Simple appointments, though old, unrenovated. Very spacious room, fairly quiet at night. Lobby is office-like and charmless. Staff attentive, helpful and accommodating, particularly when we were running late to a World Cup game. Buffet breakfast adequate range and quality, not extensive. Central location near to administrative buildings and some tourist attractions. Area is fairly run down, poor dining/nightlife options nearby. Price was very expensive, though expected as it was the World Cup. Despite the attentive service, I would be very unlikely to stay here again given the location and simple, dated decor. I would preference accommodation options in Cidade Baixa. DETAILS: Group of friends, 3 males, mid-20's. 1 night in a private triple room with bathroom, breakfast included. June 2014 (n.b. DURING WORLD CUP). Paid US$330 total (i.e $330/night).

We were here for a match and only stayed here for one night. The hotel is a two star. The hotel looked like it did some updating but not enough for an average look and definitely no wow factor. Seeing it was winter, the hotel was cold. The breakfast area was cold.. not sure why they didn't turn on the heat. The sitting area where the flat screen tv is on the lobby floor was not warm either. It was dark and uninviting. The breakfast was not that good either. The elevator was old school and didn't even look like an elevator from the outside. The hallways to the rooms from the elevator were cold, they had the window opened for no good of a reason. Our room was below average. The flooring in our room was all tile. lucky thing I brought flip flops to wear so I wouldn't touch the cold tiles. Thankfully the heater worked so it warmed the room up nicely. They had a nice flat screen tv in each room. The wifi signal was weak in our room. I didn't care bc I had a data plan that I purchased from Vivo. The bathroom was cold, it had a window and that too was opened, of course I shut it. It also needs some updating and improvements. The room is however, very big and has a little balcony. The location of the hotel was alright. I definitely wouldn't go back to this hotel or come back to Porto Alegre. The shopping around the hotel on the streets were just all junk. Ventured off to one mall close by but it had nothing to offer, except a grocery store that I bought chocolates from for souvenirs and sat at a cafe for a nice cappuccino which was very tasty.