First let me say that you could not have a better location. The hotel is right on Copacabana Beach. Walk out your hotel door and a few steps aross the street and the famous Rio sidewalks and you are on the beach! The hotel is in a nice, busy, beautiful area and it is very close to a lot of great shops and restaurants.

However, the hotel itself is not somewhere I would choose to go again. Don't let the lobby fool you. I booked my stay here before I read any reviews. After I booked I began looking into the hotel and I was not impressed. I figured I would try it out for myself. When I first arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the lobby area. It looked clean and classy. We checked in and made our way to our room using the only working elevator. It is old and loud and makes a lot of unnerving sounds. We got to our room and when we got inside I knew the reviews had been correct. Everything in the room was quite old. The bathroom was fairly dirty and there were a lot of staind in the tub, on the ceiling and on the floor. The bed was VERY umcomfortable. The bedspread did not look very clean. I was definitely not impressed especially since the rooms aren't cheap by any means. I believe the only thing you are paying for is the location. We did have to ask the front desk staff a few things and they were not pleasant or very helpful. Also, you have to leave your room key at the front desk whenever you go out.....it concerns me that they don't have extra keys...?

On the 2nd and final night we stayed, there was a company buffing the lobby floor. Now this began at around 7pm. The front door to the hotel was blocked off and we were made to go through a side entrance, through the KITCHEN, and around to a service elevator which was even more frightening that the first elevator. It took approx. 10 minutes for the elevator to get to us and then we finally made it to our rooms.

So, if you are looking ONLY for location and don't care about the friendliness or cleanliness of here you stay, by all means stay here. Otherwise, run away!

Little late with the review, but stayed here in october 2010. I read all the reviews after booking and started to regret booking this hotel. That being said I think this hotel is unfairly being trashed. It has its ups and downs but people need to set realistic expectations here. The hotel is cheaper than the other bigger names for a reason, if you want that sort of hotel stay there or dont complain about another hotel not being the same as the others because all hotels are different.

Only two bad things I can say about the hotel was the elevators and the mattress. The elevators were not a big deal for me because I am young and dont mind the stairs. The mattress was pretty bad though very uncomfortable and I hardly slept granted I didnt go to brazil to sleep much.

Everything else was good the staff was very friendly one of the nicest I have ever seen, spoke english which was a big plus. They helped give advice about what to do and where to go around there and kept you to the safe parts. Breakfast was very nice but the food goes quickly. Right across the street from the beach.

Free wireless would have been nice but not a big deal some hotels dont offer that if you stay here dont expect a marriott because it isnt that, this is a smaller older hotel with a great staff that will help you enjoy your stay in brazil. If you stay here you will have a great trip but dont expect something unrealistic.

This hotel is a real ruin.How this hotel is able to carry on its business.Hygiene and security are terrible HSE Dpt looks corrupted in Brazil.lift really hazardous,etc... It is located in middle of Copacabana beach ,only good point and you don't understand why OTHON management leave this hotel in such terrible shape on so expensive location. Ripp off ?
See pictures. We changed three times of room same disaster. Lift don't stop 9th floor so you have to stop at 10th or 8th to join your room.Carpet ,mattress are really dirty . Never sleep in such filth. run away .

I moved to this hotel after a maid stole my Sony discman while I was staying at Copacabana Sol on Rua Santa Clara. Luckily, I didn't have any problems at this hotel! I had quite a pleasant stay. Copacabana is notorious for thieves and danger inside and outside wherever in the area. My best advice is to avoid staying at Copacabana because stress and paranoia will take their toll on your mind. If you want peace of mind in Rio, I highly recommend staying at Ipanema or Leblon. More expensive than Copacabana but well worth it. If you want or need to stay at Copacabana, then I recommend the California Othon Classic with its classy style, great location and friendly staff. But be careful, Rio is the most dodgy and dangerous city I've ever been to.