For family reasons had to stay several weeks in Curitiba, Brazil,
in the months of September and October of 2008. I stayed in three
different hotels, and would like to share my opinion of them.
Initially, I must say that Curitiba is a hospitable city, and I was treated well in all three hotels. In fact, in most cases the hotel staff did everything possible to accommodate my requests, and the friendliness and warmth prevailed in interactions with caregivers.
I stayed at the Raddison Hotel in Batel, Confiance at the Centre and the Holiday Inn Express Batel (which is now called Tulip Inn).
The Raddison is the most expensive of the three, and certainly the most imposing. It has a nice restaurant, even a heated pool and fitness center. However, it had the most defects. For example, inconsistency in services. Supposedly, they give a complimentary copy of the newspaper for guests every day, but it was a Russian roulette. Some days they delivered the newspaper, in others they did not. Same with complimentary water, which was lacking one night. The first night I stayed at the hotel, they woke me up at 5 A.M., something I had not requested. Two days later, they put a final bill under the door, and my checkout occurred more than ten days later. The hotel's business center was a joke. There were three computers in the small cubicle. One was not working, but the one worked was not connected to the printer. The third computer was identified by the clerk as his own private use, and he refused to download Adobe Reader so I could print an important document. He said the situation would be normalized in only seven days, so I gave up on the ludicrous business center. The last night I was there, the TV hardly worked, with severe interference. On the positive side, servers at breakfast were very helpful, the food was good, the Internet worked smoothly, the rooms are large, well kept and well-appointed and completely soundproof. Detail - do not make long local calls using the phone away. A half an hour call, even within Curitiba, cost me a trifle 60 reais!
The staff at the Confiance was really helpful, but the hotel is not that great. The room was tiny for Brazilian standards. The frigo-bar poorly supplied, the TV is located in a weird arrangement, and it took a while for the Internet work. Often the Internet wi-fi was not working due to weak signal. The breakfast was reasonable, but the hotel is certainly expensive for 140 dollars.
By far the Holiday Inn Batel (now Tulip Inn) was the best option. Cheapest of the three, it had an excellent business center that I could use without problems, attentive staff, excellent breakfast, large rooms, consistent service. The only problem is a noisy bar next to the hotel, which runs until the wee hours. I return to this hotel last without problems (in fact I did, in 2009). The other two, I would think twice.
Initially, I must say that Curitiba is a hospitable city, and I was treated well in all three hotels. In fact, in most cases the hotel staff did everything possible to accommodate my requests, and the friendliness and warmth prevailed in interactions with caregivers.
I stayed at the Raddison Hotel in Batel, Confiance at the Centre and the Holiday Inn Express Batel (which is now called Tulip Inn).
The Raddison is the most expensive of the three, and certainly the most imposing. It has a nice restaurant, even a heated pool and fitness center. However, it had the most defects. For example, inconsistency in services. Supposedly, they give a complimentary copy of the newspaper for guests every day, but it was a Russian roulette. Some days they delivered the newspaper, in others they did not. Same with complimentary water, which was lacking one night. The first night I stayed at the hotel, they woke me up at 5 A.M., something I had not requested. Two days later, they put a final bill under the door, and my checkout occurred more than ten days later. The hotel's business center was a joke. There were three computers in the small cubicle. One was not working, but the one worked was not connected to the printer. The third computer was identified by the clerk as his own private use, and he refused to download Adobe Reader so I could print an important document. He said the situation would be normalized in only seven days, so I gave up on the ludicrous business center. The last night I was there, the TV hardly worked, with severe interference. On the positive side, servers at breakfast were very helpful, the food was good, the Internet worked smoothly, the rooms are large, well kept and well-appointed and completely soundproof. Detail - do not make long local calls using the phone away. A half an hour call, even within Curitiba, cost me a trifle 60 reais!
The staff at the Confiance was really helpful, but the hotel is not that great. The room was tiny for Brazilian standards. The frigo-bar poorly supplied, the TV is located in a weird arrangement, and it took a while for the Internet work. Often the Internet wi-fi was not working due to weak signal. The breakfast was reasonable, but the hotel is certainly expensive for 140 dollars.
By far the Holiday Inn Batel (now Tulip Inn) was the best option. Cheapest of the three, it had an excellent business center that I could use without problems, attentive staff, excellent breakfast, large rooms, consistent service. The only problem is a noisy bar next to the hotel, which runs until the wee hours. I return to this hotel last without problems (in fact I did, in 2009). The other two, I would think twice.
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