I stayed in TRYP Tatuape from January 5-19, 2011 for a business trip. I've been to Sao Paulo a lot of times and I usually stayed in Hotels around Paulista and its my first time to stay in TRYP Tatuape. I had two major issues in TRYP Tatuape. First, last January 11, around 8:30pm, I went out to buy some dinner. I decided to just buy some burger in a McDonalds just around the corner so instead of locking all my important things inside my luggage (which I usually do) I decided to just leave it in the table and put a do not disturb sign in the door before I went out. I was only out for less than 30 minutes and to my surprise there were 2 hotel staffs inside my room. They opened it even with the "do not disturb" sign on the door. I am so pissed off and I felt so violated. What makes it more offensive is the thought that they really waited for me to go out to open my room. They could never deny the fact that they saw me passed by the reception on my way out because I greeted them a good evening on my way out and I remember that the two staffs were also there. Second, when I check-in they asked for my credit card to charge a guarantee and they said it will be canceled when I check-out. They charged 500Reais to the card. This already happened to me in Hongkong and Peru so I was cool with it. On the day of my check out, I was asking the lady that checked me out to tear of the credit card charge slip that signed in front of me. She refuses and told me that I already had my copy. That is just unacceptable all the hotels that I'd been to that do the guarantee with credit card tear the charge slip in front of me. So when she told me that I was so pissed off. And she couldn't speak much English so I was trying to explain to her with my Portuglish. And the reception staffs in this hotel are not so nice. The chambermaid are much more respectful and accommodating than the reception and they try much more to understand my Portuguese.

My wife and I have travelled internationally on business for many years. Neither of us have ever had a more frightening or exasperating experience in a hotel.

We experienced an issue that included a 4am anonymous call to our room attempting to coerce my wife to exit the room under the false pretense that there was a package in the lobby for her, (at 4am mind you). We verified that the call originated within the hotel with the hotel staff. Further, the caller addressed my wife by her first name, indicating that it was not a random or prank call and that it was highly probable that it was made by an employee of the hotel.

The fact that it happened is a serious concern in itself. More alarming, however, was the hotel manager's lack of action in investigating the matter and the Sol Melia corporate office's efforts to dodge responsibility for the matter.

Further, Sol Melia management has apparently elected to ignore the possibility that they may have someone in the employ of Melia Hotels that could be a sexual predator or involved in plotting to assault, kidnap or otherwise perpetrate a crime against a guest of the hotel.

I strongly encourage anyone considering a Sol Melia property to consider these conditions and find other properties in which to stay.

Stephen and Carolina Tucker