Stephen A
Google
The Design Hotel has a great location, one short block from Copacabana Beach. This is the only good feature of this hotel. ||We were quite disappointed with our stay at this so-called “design” hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, there’s nothing “design” about it. The room we stayed in was far from the sleek and modern aesthetic advertised in the photographs online, which are misleading at best.||The bathroom was particularly unpleasant. When we arrived, it was not properly cleaned—there was hair on the floor. The grouting in the shower had visible mould, and the showerhead was rusted. Worse, the drain in the shower was blocked, leading to water pooling during showers. While this was eventually fixed after we complained, it’s something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Additionally, the towels provided were old and worn out, which added to the lackluster experience.||Housekeeping was also a problem. Three times we returned to our room after being out for hours only to find it hadn’t been serviced. On all occasions, we had to ask for the room to be cleaned, despite it being well into the afternoon. On two occasions we directly asked the housekeeping staff who were servicing the room next door, to no avail. The quality of the housekeeping was perfunctory.||The mattress was sagging on one side, which gave my partner a painful back, making sleep even more uncomfortable. Additionally, the bathroom door squeaked every time it was opened, which was particularly disturbing in the night.||The quality of the bed linens was equally poor. The sheets were old, ill-fitting, and the bottom sheet came off the bed every night, which made for uncomfortable sleep. Additionally, there were no in-room tea or coffee-making facilities, which was disappointing. We also discovered that there was no iron or ironing board available, which is an essential amenity in most hotels.||The toiletries provided were extremely basic—small bars of soap and some locally made shampoo of questionable quality. For a hotel presenting itself as a “design” destination, we expected much better.||The breakfast buffet was acceptable but very basic, offering limited variety. The one saving grace was the location, which is convenient for exploring the city.||To top it all off, the Wi-Fi was weak and slow, making it difficult to stay connected.||Overall, this hotel fell far short of our expectations, and we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for a true “design” experience.