Don't expect too much. This hotel is old and it shows. The elevators are clunky, the bathroom, TV and minibar look like they've been there since the early 1980s -- the skimpy towels too! The parking garage elevator was out of order, so I had to park across the street (you pay extra for parking anyway, about $15 a day). However, the room was spacious and clean, with good beds and a nice, quiet A/C. The location is pretty good, right in the heart of Copacabana, about three blocks from the beach. There is a Metro station right across the street. There are plenty of bars and restaurants along the busy streets nearby. The breakfast buffet was very good. There is also a small rooftop swimming pool, and not much else in terms of amenities. Service is not the forte here, but unfortunately, you'll find poorly trained staff in most mid-level hotels and restaurants in the city. Furthermore, the Atlantico Copacabana seems understaffed for a such a busy hotel, and the front desk people are not as helpful as they should, especially because some of them speak very limited English.
I had stayed before at this hotel, so I knew what to expect. In all, our stay was good. I like mostly the location of the Atlantico Copacabana and the reasonable rates, which are pretty competitive compared to other hotels of the same class. But don't fool yourself into thinking that you will stay in a 4-star hotel. This one is not.

I stayed at the Atlantico one night and that was enough for me. The front desk staff were rude and if you asked them a question, you were bothering them very much and they weren't going to deal with you. They spoke very limited English which also didn't help. The cleaning staff however seemed genuinely kind and warm. The rooms themselves were basic and were in need of a new paint job. The hotel boasts itself to be a 4 star hotel, but who are we kidding here, it's a 3 star, at best. The location is near the metro and within a few blocks from Copacabana. On Sundays, there is a great market just 2 blocks away from the hotel and would strongly suggest checking it out for some local produce. Our room itself had a little entry room for dining, with a small fridge and table. The bathroom looked dated and I just wanted to have a quick shower and not linger any longer than I needed to. There is a simple roof top pool with a good view of the city. There is a gym, but it is tiny and consists of 3 pieces of equipment. I did not check out the sauna. If you are looking for basic accommodations, this place is it, but just don't have a lot of expectations.

The best aspects of this hotel are its ample (included) breakfast and its small rooftop pool. From the pool deck you can see the Christ statue, a bit of the ocean and a lot of Copacabana. The surrounding neighborhood is busy and gritty, but the oceanfront is just a few blocks away. I stayed during Carnival because this place was the only one available at less than extortionate prices. The staff arranged for me to attend on short notice the Sambadrome all night parade during the Carnival festivities--fun but pricey (and all cash). A cool local neighborhood band came by during my stay as well. Now this place is no Four Seasons--they don't seem to have even tried to take it out of the 1970's. I think the linens date from that decade as well. But Rio's (and particularly Copacabana's) tourist hotels are notoriously frumpy. I had plastic flowers behind my bed that made me feel as though I were the star feature at a low-rent funeral. And my high school gym's showers were more luxurious than here. The bar at the lobby level was lifeless. But I didn't go to Rio to hang around my hotel, so this served its purpose of giving me an acceptable place to sleep for brief periods during the crazy fun of Carnival week.

From the rude and inattentive staff to the cockroach found in my room to the theft that took place in my friend's room, disappointingly, it was a bad choice by my tour company.