PortoBay Rio Internacional

We are currently staying at the hotel and, while the setting is extraordinary, the operational execution has been disappointing for a property like this. The view from our balcony is breathtaking, with a sweeping panorama of the beach. It is truly exceptional and one of the best aspects of the stay so far. Unfortunately, several service issues have detracted from the experience. Our stay was prepaid in full months ago. Upon arrival, we were initially refused check-in because I did not have the original Visa card used for the booking, as it had been lost and replaced. We had to show our Visa statement from July last year to prove the transaction. The process felt unnecessarily rigid and transactional rather than solution-oriented. We were informed that our room was not ready and that we would be notified via WhatsApp once it became available. When I returned at 3:00 pm, I was told the room had been ready but no one had contacted us. When I was given the room key, they had the wrong name written on it. When retrieving our luggage, I was initially refused access because I could not immediately locate the claim tickets. While I understand security protocols, the interaction lacked flexibility and basic customer judgment because they have just seen me leave the luggage earlier. Additionally, charging for Nespresso capsules in-room, when they are the only coffee option provided, feels inconsistent with the level of hospitality expected from a property like PortoBay. The hot water tap in the bathroom is producing brown water! The location and views are world-class. The service standards, however, needs refinement.

A nice hotel with friendly staff, clean rooms, and a nice rooftop pool/lounge. Despite the front of house's best efforts, the hotel just falls short of 5 star in a few places. Unfortunately during our stay there was quite a lot of noise above our room (maybe some construction work). While this work was confined to daytime where we would mostly be out and about, we booked an early check-in to get a nap after our long flight. I assume rooms further from the construction were fully booked and they didn't have any option to ensure guests were not next to those sounds. In general, the construction work aside, the sound isolation was poor. Our room was near the lift and so we'd hear conversation as if those people had walked into our room. It was quite disconcerting as well as disruptive. The hotel has 20 floors and 2 small guest lifts. This created regular contention during our stay: long waits for the lift and often they'd be packed when they did arrive. This was particularly bad at peak times like trying to get the lobby for 9 am. This is obviously not something that's easy to fix. Breakfast has been fantastic - both the food selection and staff at this period. So far our favourite pão de queijo in Brazil. In the rooftop lounge, the staff were still lovely but the service was a little slower at times, and unfortunately we had some plastic in our food (which was approximately compensated for).

Portobay Rio de Janeiro is an absolute standout — couldn’t have asked for a better stay. Prime position straight across from Copacabana Beach and an easy, cruisy walk to Ipanema. You’re right in the action. The team here are first class — warm, switched on, and genuinely invested in making your stay easy. Special mention to Thiago on reception, who went above and beyond helping us lock in some fantastic tours. Knowledgeable, generous with his time, and an absolute asset to the hotel. Breakfast is superb — generous spread, top-quality produce, and a great start to the day. I had a side room rather than full ocean front and honestly didn’t feel like I missed out — beautiful space, comfortable, and still a cracking view. The rooftop is magic — pool, sweeping views over Copacabana, relaxed atmosphere, and a solid, well-priced bar menu. Perfect spot for a sunset drink after a day exploring. Genuine hospitality, brilliant location, and a hotel that gets the balance exactly right. Would return in a heartbeat.

Everything about our stay was absolutely fantastic. The hotel is beautiful, extremely well maintained, and in a perfect location — close to everything, yet calm and relaxing at the same time. It really made our trip special. The staff were amazing from start to finish: friendly, professional, and always willing to help with a smile. We genuinely felt welcomed and looked after. A very special mention goes to Thiago at reception. He was outstanding — truly one of the highlights of our stay. He helped us with incredible recommendations for restaurants, places to visit, and things to do around the area. His knowledge, kindness, and genuine care made a huge difference. He went above and beyond, and we’re very grateful to him. A great, great guy and a real asset to the hotel. We would 100% stay here again and highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!

Right on the beach. The room we had was fantastic, the rooftop pool and bar were excellent and the included breakfast was great each day. They have a spot on the beach as well with chairs and umbrellas for guest if you need them. The staff were helpful, friendly and courteous. No problems at all.

Excellent location, right in front of Copacabana beach. Nice reception a and friendly staff but rooms and facilities are definately old. Cleaning service needs improvement (windows, tv screens, floor) and maintenance in the room is required (sink, shower, door key). Wifi works very well. Breakfast is limited and the same everyday. I would recommend a coffee machine, so personell can take care of cleaning tables and filling in the food, other than serving coffee (btw espresso is not included in the price!!!). Food quality of restaurant and bar is ok but could be improved; waiting time is always very long. Waiters (bar and restaurant) do not speak any foreign languages; they are also not friendly nor willing to serve the client with a smile. Beach service consist in a old and broken chain + ombrella + small towel but staff is nice and friendly. Definately not a 4 star property and not worth the price other than for location.

I will make a list of the good things and one of the terrible things: 1) the location is brilliant 2) outstanding breakfast with a beautiful view 3) great pool area 4) friendly workers. I had an allergy reaction from something in my room and even though they were fully booked they managed to change my room. However there are many issues with the hotel: 1) when we arrived, our bathroom didn’t have robes or slippers, we had to call the reception to get them 2) we stayed 4 nights and they forgot to clean our bedroom for 2 days (we only woke up there 4 mornings, and in one of them we left, the other we changed bedrooms, so they basically forgot to clean the room during our entire stay.) After having asked them to clean it, we found out that they only made the bed and didnt clean the bathroom or bedroom. 3) they forgot to leave towels in our bathroom every single day. 4) there is a lot of mold in the bathroom between the tiles. The ventilation is also not good. 5) there is dust and dirt in the corners between furniture and floors. Also dirt and dust in the corners of the furniture itself. 6) everything looks very cheap. You can see how poorly painted the walls and ceiling are, in the balcony you can see the painting peeling off of the floor. 7) the AC vents were extremely dusty All in all these are, of course, minimum details that don’t kill anyone. They would not have been a problem if the hotel hasn’t claimed to be a 4 star hotel. Because of all of that I think they should charge a smaller fee and rethink their fourth star.

We stayed for three nights at this hotel which was well located for the Cocacobana beach. The staff were happy, and very helpful and we were welcomed into the hotel. Food was great, the room was perfectly adequate, although strangely no tea spoons available for coffee or tea making, but that is a minor detail. Perhaps a little more tedious were the waits for a lift at busy times of day, particularly breakfast time, but then there are 20 floors. Overall very happy with our stay here, especially rooftop pool area and bar.