Arena Ipanema Hotel

This hotel has an excellent location near the Ipanema Beach and many attractions. It’s just minutes away from the actual beach. There are several groceries close by and nice acai places ( Tapi). Upon arrival, Carlos at the front desk was very attentive and mindful of our needs. Our flight was delayed and we arrived a day later. He even gave us 2 welcome drinks. The hotel is very clean and smells very good. The reception area is nice and clean. The room it’s tiny but has everything that we need. Has very nice and comfortable bed, clean pillows and blankets. The air condition was working very well. Breakfast was excellent with a variety of cold cuts, breads, desserts and hot foods like egg and sausages. The coffee tastes good. Definitely consider this hotel when looking for a clean, safe hotel that’s away from the noisy Copacabana area but close enough to still enjoy it after a short walk. What made it more special is the attention of Carlos at the front desk.

Avoid Ipanema Arena Hotel at All Costs – Worst Hotel Experience in Rio If you’re coming to Rio de Janeiro to enjoy your time, meet up with friends, and have fun — stay far away from this hotel. It completely ruined part of our trip. First of all, when we checked in, we were not informed of any hotel policies. Nothing was mentioned during booking or at the reception about visitor restrictions. The issue started when a few of my friends — who were staying in another hotel nearby — tried to come up to my room for just a few minutes to freshen up and chat before we headed out. The staff refused to let them in, saying that only registered guests are allowed in the room. This was shocking and absurd. I completely understand if overnight stays are not allowed, but a short visit? It’s my room — and I paid for it. When we tried to calmly speak with the management, two managers came out and were not only dismissive but extremely rude. They told us, late at night, that if we didn’t like it, we could just leave and sleep on the street. That’s the kind of “hospitality” you get at this so-called 4-star hotel. The food was bad, the atmosphere felt controlling and unpleasant, and the overall experience was one of the worst I’ve had in years of traveling. I do not recommend this hotel to anyone. If you value your comfort, freedom, and basic respect — stay somewhere else. This place was a nightmare.

I stayed at this hotel for 9 nights and experienced something truly unacceptable. One day, the toilet in my room exploded when I flushed, spraying human waste all over the bathroom and on me. It was disgusting, traumatic, and a serious health risk. When I reported it to the staff, they acknowledged the issue, but only offered to refund 1 night of my 9-night stay — as if this life-altering sanitation failure only affected me for a single day. I had no choice but to clean myself and my belongings without proper support from the hotel. This hotel clearly has serious plumbing and sanitation issues, and a complete lack of accountability when it comes to guest safety. I would never stay here again and do not recommend this hotel to anyone who values cleanliness, safety, or respectful customer service.

Great option for a hotel that is close to the beach that will not break the bank. Included breakfast is fantastic (with plenty of different options), clean rooms, helpful staff, and the roof deck has a great view! The only thing to note here is that the roof deck is closed on New Years Eve (which is a shame), and I do wish I had known that before booking. Not the end of the world though and was otherwise great!

We chose it for its excellent location. But, we had several difficulties with the hotel from the start, which the helpful and friendly staff tried its best to resolve. The hotel's booking site, asked information only valid for Brazilians (CPF, CPE...! ) The room (508) walls were paper thin and we heard the TV on one side and the guest snoring on the other side. We also had to ask the staff to fix various problems in the room. At this stage the hotel offered us a better room (801) with no neighbours, but he bed was missing the mattress cover and a towel... Last but not least, we received the visit of a very large cockroach, which I captured in a cup for the staff to deal with... For the price charged we were expecting a much better quality experience.

While we loved the proximity to the beach and the size of the rooms, the overall experience was more of a budget motor-inn rather than a premium hotel. The lack of towel service (clean or otherwise) was unacceptable and made otherwise small details very difficult to overlook. The staff and housekeeping, while at times constrained by the hotel’s limitations, was friendly and helpful.

I have never had such a disappointing and frustrating experience at a hotel. From the moment we arrived, the staff was unreasonably strict and unaccommodating. The biggest issue? They refused to let our friend come up to our room to hang out. When people go on vacation, especially with friends, part of the experience is getting ready together, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company in the room. This is completely normal and expected at any decent hotel.||||The way the staff enforced this ridiculous rule was absurd and uncalled for. They made us feel like we were doing something wrong when all we wanted to do was spend time together. Instead of enhancing our stay, they actively made it stressful and frustrating. Their attitude and lack of flexibility completely killed the vibe of our trip.||||I will never stay at an Arena Hotel again, and I will make sure to warn all my friends to avoid this place at all costs. If you’re looking for a welcoming, guest-friendly environment, this is not the place for you. Stay elsewhere unless you want your vacation ruined by unnecessary and petty restrictions.

We stayed at this hotel for a few days and we really liked it. Particularly, location is great! Hotel is clean and it offers everything you need. Rooms are not huge but big enough for 2 people and 1 big suitcase. Breakfast is ok! No issues, they also allowed us to do late check out free of charge!

Terrible. I would avoid it at all cost. I had a horrible experience with this hotel. I booked it for 3 nights for almost $900 USD. Unfortunately, I could not travel to Brazil due to a very recent visa requirement for US citizens.  With the help of hotels.com I managed to cancel the booking. This hotel categorically refused to give me a single penny back. I am business savvy and understand the inconvenience of last minute cancellations on a business like this. However, there is a fine line here. Under the circumstances, I would have deemed a partial refund more than fair. But simply pocketing every single penny under the excuse of a cancellation policy is simply a disguised form of theft. It is short term greedy and not a good business practice

Obsessed with this hotel. Small but nice rooms. Comfortable beds, strong air conditioning, an amazing rainfall shower head. Very modern and hip. The staff was kind, and the breakfast is delicious and has a decent amount of variety. Right by the beach and there is a rooftop pool and bar as well.

We chose this as our base for our first Rio visit, it was a great choice! Modern and clean, very nice service with English speaking front desk staff, very good location right by the corners of the 2 major beaches. The adjacent park isn't as pretty in person, but it's a major hub for people coming and going to the beach and the viewpoint out on the rocks nearby, which is a great sunset point. The breakfast was generous and varied daily. The attached restaurant wasn't seeing much business when we were there in May, and we had the whole place to ourselves one night when we decided to dine it, and it was quite good. The local tours picked us up here, easy access to walk to Ipanema.

The management of this hotel was very unreasonable. I had COVID so I canceled my non-refundable reservation. I didn't even ask for a refund, just credit for a future stay. I would have gladly stayed there in the future and spent even more money at the property. Their location does not make up for poor management. I say AVOID Arena Ipanema Hotel.

We just got back from an anniversary trip to Rio and my husband and I stayed at Arena Ipanema Hotel. We stayed for 8 days and really enjoyed ourselves. The staff is great and make your stay very enjoyable! The pool is small but the seating area is a decent size with good views of the ocean and surrounding mountains. When you first walk in, you can't help but notice the fresh, clean smell, which was nice. The hotel seems to be fairly new and everything is modern inside. The continental breakfast is fabulous, with an array of fruits, breads, meat, cheese, and even some hot foods. The fruit juice are super fresh and coffee was delicious! We definitely would stay there again!

We where treated like royalty. The staff at the front desk and breakfast was outstanding and this is our home hotel every time we come to Rio. Also Thank You Guillerme at the front desk- his service was exceptional!