Really is too bad this place is run by people who are totally clueless to hospitality. Not only do they overcharge you for the internet access, which only works 20% of the time, but they will also erroneously charge you on the final bill...be careful!...and then still give you a hard time about it. I had to make five long-distance calls to settle the whole thing, and on top of that, they are not only rude about it but they never even apologize! I am Brazilian and this hotel is giving us a bad name! This is a great location, but not worth the headache! Rent an apartment in Rio if you are looking for a reasonably priced place to stay.

The hotel starts great, nice room, awesome view, nice space, smily staff, dont bother you with paperwork...you name it. Then the price is high, but U think "hey, it´s Leblon, the nicest place of Rio". Next thing is the morning coffee, I am not too picky, but I´ve seen wayyyyyyyy better for what they are pretending to be. Internet is falling every 5 minute when then scream out that it works fine. You ask something to the staff and they forget. Room service stops 30 min before the actual time (on the hotel menu). The hot water was not working properly, it was a gas system that was leaking sometime. My wife was with me, I arrived there transferred as an expat, we were waiting on my visa to get a proper flat. Now one morning, they enter the room without warning, they did not check if there was someone in... one could be in confortable clothing and the hotel staff would have enjoyed the view... but not me!! After that they did have the room pre-paid for someone else during the period of our booking. They told us we were on waiting list (against the rules, if pre paid the room is not available, or the hotel wants to bank twice). Though we were warned, they ensured the booking company we chose we would not change room (strange but true). Now the piece of resistance: on saturday we go for a trip and come back at night to find the room has been emptied and someone else´s belonging are in the room (the magnetic key did not work but as it happen frequently I went down to have it re-activated and the receptionist did not realised it was me and they might tell me something like "ow, by the way you wont be in this room for now!!"). Imagine how my wife was like... We go down to the reception, start to vulcanize the receptionist and force him to phone managers (there was no managers in the hotel at the time). We found the guy to speak to after 30 min of straight persuasion, have him on the phone. The manager dirrectly starts to yell at me to leave the room or I will be taken by the police and deported out, that they would take my visa, that I was a complete idiot cos the guy in the room is an important lawyer that has a lot of power....general manager yelling at a client, insulting him and menacing him, including a third guy that has not even seen my face and would probably do nothing but spanking the hotel management for such a lack of communication. And our belongings?? room next door, thrown there... Right now I am in a process of procecution against the manager...

Hotels in Rio´s Zona Sul are typically very expensive and old, making them horrible value. The Ritz Plaza in Leblon is a pleasant exception. It has been recently renovated and it is located at the heart of Leblon, near some of the best restaurants in the city. You should be able to get a room for under R$350/night (US$200), salty for Brazil but great value for that location in Rio.

Definetely overpriced. Rooms are small and spartan, but the all-white furniture is new. The location is very good, if noisy. The breakfast is standard, but the coffee was lukewarm and weak. At the reception we were told that there was a small safe in the room at the cost of around six dollars a day. When I declined, they put a form in front of me, telling me to sign it. As I perused the form, it stated that since I declined the safe, I was releasing he hotel from any responsibility for the theft of any possession I had. As I found this too extreme and a bit unlawful, I declined to sign it, and was told then to take the safe or sign the form, or leave the hotel.
Since accomodations were difficult at the time , I had to backtrack, and pay for the so called "safe", which was a small metallic box fastened to the floor inside the closet, and which required a back breaking motion to put things into it.
But, on the plus side, if you do not question them, the staff keeps grinning all the time.