Radisson Blu Sao Paulo

The hotel’s bright, two-floor lobby features clean lines and wood finishes for a modern look that’s still warm and welcoming. Around the lobby and restaurant, the low leather chairs are filled with coworkers having meetings and international guests passing through, creating a fair reflection of Sao Paulo’s somewhat formal, very cosmopolitan scene. While the hotel is located on a busy main thoroughfare, the entrance is set back a little, providing a quiet reprieve from the metropolis outside.

The hotel rebranded to a Radisson Blu in 2016 and added new bed linens and high-end services, like turndown service, shoe shines, butler service, and free bike rentals. These additional features, along with chic style throughout, attracts business travelers who make up a good portion of the clientele.

Located along the city’s busy Faria Lima Avenue (the hotel was formerly called the Radisson Faria Lima), the Radisson Blu is in the Itaim Bibi neighborhood. There’s a nice park nearby and the nearest metro station is about a 10-minute walk away. While there are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the surrounding area, it’s a 20-minute taxi ride (in Sao Paulo’s notorious traffic) away from the main thoroughfare of Paulista Avenue and the popular shopping areas of the adjacent Jardins neighborhood. Congonhas-São Paulo Airport is about a 43-minute ride away, often more with traffic. 

All of the contemporary guest rooms at Radisson Blu have small balconies with city views, which is perhaps their best feature. While the rooms are bright and sleek, the generic chain-hotel furnishings don’t pack a ton of personality. Units are a nice size for compact Sao Paulo, at 32 square meters (about 344 square feet), and the suites are twice that size. The bathrooms are on the small side, however, and they haven't been fully renovated, as some still have older shower heads and other more dated details. 

The room categories include Luxury, Business, and Royal. Units are roughly the same size, but those in higher categories include additional services, such as a Nespresso machines, evening turndown service with chocolate on the pillows, fresh fruit, and even shoe shines. The spacious suites include separate living rooms and larger bathrooms with whirlpool tubs. Flat-screen TVs, minibars, bathrobes, iPod docks, and kettles with free tea and instant coffee are standard amenities. Light sleepers should be aware that some lower-floor units can be noisy from traffic. 

Take the elevator to the top floor for a highlight of the property: the pool and solarium. This bright, open sunroom features a long, skinny lap pool surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and 360-degree views of the city. Padded lounge chairs and tables offer nearby seating. There is also a sauna and a bright fitness room with new LifeFitness equipment and flat-screen TVs. 

The contemporary bar and restaurant, called Badebec, has a cozy yet urban style, with street art-inspired artwork on the main wall that reflects the colorful city of Sao Paulo. The full breakfast buffet is included free for all guests. The hotel offers a number of meeting rooms and conference rooms of different sizes, with seating for up to 200 people, and there's a tiny business center with two laptops in the main lobby. The hotel offers bikes for guests to borrow for free, though the traffic outside can be menacing. Parking is available for an extra fee (which is typical for dense Sao Paulo) and Wi-Fi is free throughout.