Royal Hotel

[world traveler]

Anyone have any updates on the Royal. Am staying at the Royal in October. Good, bad or indifferent comments regarding this property?

 

WT

[Guest icon513]

Every city in the world has a Royal Hotel. Which one are you talking about?

[world traveler]

Sorry I wasn't more specific. I thought that since I posted under Escorts South of the USA, most of the posters in here would assume I meant the Royal in Rio, which is the hotel most are commenting on. Obviously I should have been more city specific for some of the posters in here. Hope that helps you, if you have any comments regarding it, that would be appreciated.

 

WT

[Driver]

An american (who has just left Rio) abandoned the Royal and came to the Atlantico. I understand the pool area was being renovated and there was a problem with his room.

 

When he was downgraded do a different room, it appeared to be the same size and facilities as the one he had just left propmting him to query what the extra R$ was buying him. Thats about as much of the tale as I can tell and still remain fairly accurate.

[world traveler]

Thank you Driver for the update.

 

WT

[world traveler]

>Every city in the world has a Royal Hotel. Which one are you

>talking about?

 

By the way Icon, the statement you make about every city in the world has a Royal Hotel. That statement in fact is not true. I live in a major city in North America, and we do not have a Royal Hotel.

 

WT

[+ Axiom2001]

If my memory serves me correctly, Driver's assessment was quite accurate. Also, our most recent M4M visitor had to pay extra if his guests stayed for the night. He wrote a slightly scathing review of this hotel and mixed it up with the Royal Rio which had received some very glowing reviews from other M4Mers in April.

 

Do a search; you might be able to find what Driver and I are alluding.

[imrthr]

As there is confusion over the exact name of the hotel that somewhat replaced the Atlantico Hotel as the m4ms' favorite hotel, I refer you to Carlo Romano's post of April 1, 2004 which shows the name of the hotel as well as some comparison to it over Atlantico.

 

Here is Carlo's post:

 

Date Thu Apr-01-04 06:19 PM

Message

 

 

Hallo merry M4Mers,

 

As we had received many requests from a number of M4Mers to contact this brand new hotel in Copacabana, the Royal. We did so and here is what our thoughts are:

 

First of all, we managed to get very special deals on this hotel that Tomcal mentioned. Not only on this specific one (the Royal) but at the 4 other hotels of this group, all located in Copacabana.

 

As anything else this brand new hotel has its pros and cons, just like the Atlantico...

 

Pros:

 

Brand new, finely decorated, close to a subway station.

 

Cons:

 

Tax (15%) vs. 10% at the Atlântico

Rates are higher than at the Atlântico (a sglb at the Royal can cost as low as R$ 160,00 whereas in Atlântico both sglb and dblb cost R$ 140.00. A dblb at the Royal costs R$ 210.00.

Disorganized (since it's a brand new hotel - only 3 months old), they are still getting their things together, which is quite natural.

Not as close to Copacabana saunas as the Atlântico.

 

 

Aside from that it's another good option for M4Mers, and regarding visitor's policy (which is a very thorny issue for gay travellers), they agree on the following policy: it's ok to take one guest per night, but you'd have to pay an extra R$ 50.00 per guest and R$ 16.00 for breakfast, in case your overnight guest has breakfast with you. Therefore if you consider that, the Atlântico's policy is still better.

 

Another thought, now as we have deals in all five of the hotels of the Royal chain, I think you should consider their other hotel, the Mirador, for it's closer to the saunas than Royal is, and the price of the Mirador is compatible with that of the Royal.

 

Anyway we just wanted to put some insight on this topic and let you guys know that we can book you in any of these hotels with special rates for M4Mers.

 

Um abraço,

 

 

 

Carlo Romano, your best company not only in Rio but all over Brasil

http://romanus.8k.com

[+ Lucky]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

The Royal Rio gets six thumbs down here. Details to follow...

[+ Lucky]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

The Royal Rio is a nice hotel in many ways, but I have concluded that Carlo is right above when he suggests other properties. The Royal did not have a functional swimming pool or fitness center as advertised. There is construction noise every day.

 

They did not hold our guaranteed room so when we arrived from a grueling 32 hour jaunt, we had to take a small room with one bed instead of our guaranteed deluxe double.

 

My friend was embarassed to be stopped at the lobby and charged a fee to bring in a friend, even tho it was not an overnight. My other friend did bring someone in, but the maid entered the room without knocking, not once, but twice while they were in bed!

 

The location suffers in comparison to the Atlantico, especially if you will be out walking late at night. Not many places are open around there then.

 

The Royal did allow me a late check-out.

[trilingual]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

The hotel shouldn't charge for visitors during the day, but if someone comes at night it is, in effect, double occupancy and they aren't unreasonable in charging extra.

 

Please remember that checking the "visitor" in is also for YOUR protection, because they will have to show some ID. That tends to cut down on subsequent problems. The Atlantico doesn't usually check the guys who are coming and going, and there have been occasional problems as a result, with no way of tracking the guy down afterwards because there is no record of him. There have been a couple cases of "Goodnight, Cinderella" dopings at the Atlantico involving unregistered visitors. So again, it's for your own protection. And consider carefully whether it isn't worth the minimal extra charge at a hotel like the Royal. R$50 is only about US$17, which is a small price for a lot of peace of mind!!!

[sf traveler]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

I certainly agree with Tri regarding the fact that checking the boys' ID is for your own protection As I think I said above, the only time I was ever nervous about a boy I brought to my roomin the afternoon), it was someone they didn't stop and whose ID was consequently never checked. And I believe he wasn't stopped because he looked totally European. The one time I brought a boy back late at night, they did stop us at the desk but neither he nor they were particularly embarrassed. And the boy said that he thought they should look at everybody's documents for security.

 

Having said that, I am concerned about the noise complaints and about not having a pool or gym, both of which are important to me. I'm going to contact Carlo and ask when these repairs will be done. I'm going in late Oct. When I find out, I'll post an update. SF Traveler

[+ Lucky]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

The hotel could easily look out for my protection by taking the guy's id. The fee isn't necessary.

[sf traveler]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

Necessary it certainly is not. While this is, of course, a matter of opinion, it does not strike me as unreasonable, especially when it is clearly enunciated in advance. And they do normally charge more for double occupancy than for single. SF Traveler

[robbguy]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

Is there a website address for the Royal Rio? I was looking last night and could not find one. Robb

[sf traveler]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

I asked Carlo about the recent complaints. Paraphrasing his responses: 1. The gym should be ready in about 2 weeks, or so they say. 2. One pool is available, but the other is still leaking and they're working on it. 3. The repairs that were causing the noise issue are completed. 4. The best policy regarding visitors is still the Atlantico.

 

In my opinion, the summary of all this is that if you want a liberal policy regarding visitors, that is, no ID check and no extra fee, go to the Atlantico. This is esp. true if you like the saunas near it, that is, Point 202, Estacao and Rogers. If you want a more modern hotel with up to date facilities, go to the Royal. For me, since my favorite saunas are 117 and Spa 73, I'm always on the Metro or in a cab anyway. And the Royal is quite near the Cardeal Arcoverde metro stop. I also speak Portugese so I'm quite comfortable taking a cab home from Corujinha's late at night--and it is quite common in Brazil to take cabs relatively short distances at night, just for safety. I have to admit, it was more fun when everyone stayed in the same hotel, but now that the group has gotten bigger and so many people get their own apartments, that's just not going to the case anyway. While I prefer the Royal, I can believe that there will be more M4Mers at the Atlantico at any particular time and if it's your first trip, and you aren't going with a lot of friends, it might be easier to meet like-minded gringo there than at the Royal.

 

And Robbguy, I know they had a website and I've looked at it, although it wasn't that informative, but I just couldn't locate it just now. If I find it, I'll post the address again. SF Traveler

[world traveler]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel

 

>->And Robbguy, I know they had a website and I've looked at it,

>although it wasn't that informative, but I just couldn't

>locate it just now. If I find it, I'll post the address

>again. SF Traveler

 

Try this to get to the Rio web site http://www.royalrio.com

 

WT

[Guest msclonly]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel- SOFT OPENING!

 

The Royal Rio Palace Hotel rates are lower, since it is their SOFT OPENING as noted on the sign on the wall behind the Reception Desk. It was sold out for the weekend and is busy during the week with many scheduled meetings.

Soft opening means that there is still some minor construction going on, one pool may not be filled, etc. But that is why their rates are much less then they will be once everything is working. I bet the rates will start at about $100US a nite, when that time comes. They are getting about 200 new guests a day. The restaurant is VERY VERY good at a good price compared to other places in the area. The Breakfast Buffet is SO much better then the Atlantico, that there is no comparison. The melons and fruit alone make it an outstanding place to stay. The melons are the tastiest and correctly field rippened - mango, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, watermelon in unlimited amounts. Even the JW Marriott didn't have the quality of fruit on their Breakfast Buffet!

 

The Dinner Buffet includes soup, salads, choice of meats, veggies, fruit, Desserts!, and coffee/tea. Only $26Reals. Tip optional!

A good place to try, even if you don't stay there. The Dining room is packed for Dinner and very busy at Breakfast.

 

The place is new, so the CENTRAL airconditioning works well and can be regulated by the guest. The ducts are CLEAN and no need to worry about getting Legionaire's Disease. Remmber so many got severe Pulmonary infections last October at the other place, and the complaints about the a/c being set TOO cold unless you had the front desk send someone up to lower it, since there was no knob for the inwall unit left in the room for the guest to change as needed.

 

The Bath water was CLEAN and NO RUSTY water to be found with modern shower and hand held sprayer, jacuzzi tub, and even a sauna in the standard room for the hotel quoted price of $60US + $9 taxes.

 

Decent comfortable mattresses and good feather pillows, that support the head. A new flat screen TV, that works!

 

So it is your choice- location or clean comfortable room with a great breakfast at a bargain price.

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: Royal Rio Hotel- SOFT OPENING!

 

Your most recent update regarding the Royal Rio Hotel has given me the big push to have my room reserved there during my October visit to Rio. Thanks for the reassurance.

 

PS I've stayed at our "other" hotel during my last three visits and did NOT encounter any problem with its amenities or personnel. So, msclonly, as you stated-- "It's your choice...!" .:-)

[Guest msclonly]

Are you a member of the TOM CAT CLUB?

 

I was asked this some years ago by a bookworm like client (city attorney), and I had to admit, that I did not know what he meant! So he proceded to explain it to me. Simply put, tom cats go out on the prowl at night looking for some action. And he wanted to fix me up with a very nice lady of the night like a token of appreciation for my help. His wife was a very strange women with many problems, so I could understand his need for other outside satisfaction, and therefore his membership in the TOM CAT Club!

I still get a chuckle out of this revelation at that time.

 

I thoought of this, when thinking about the Atlantico as the meeting place of the TOM CATS Club from the Lobby up to the rooms!

 

This might help you decide on which Hotel you should stray in!

OPPS! Stay in!

:+

[CarloRio]

Royal, Atlântico and Rio's many hotels

 

Dear M4Mers,

 

It's been a while since I last posted here, but I wanted to post about those comments regarding Rio's gay-friendly hotels in order to clarify some questionings that we've been having over the past weeks:

 

The choice of a hotel is a very personal one and it depends on a number of factors, which vary from the most subjective: the weather, your finding that special somebody who makes your trip special; to the most objective ones: cleanliness, breakfast, room service, phone system etc...

 

We, at Romanus, preferably work with gay-friendly hotels, which are hotels that accept night visitors, which most hotels in Rio and São Paulo don't.

 

By preferably working with these gay-friendly hotels we tend to direct our customers to basically 6 hotels:

 

3 in Copacabana,

 

2 in Ipanema,

 

2 in Leblon,

 

1 in Barra.

 

The 3 in Copacabana are: Atlântico, Mirasol and Royal.

 

We tend to suggest these three hotels to our guests if we sense that they enjoy the local hustler saunas and when they don't care much about not having a seaview.

 

The 2 in Ipanema are: Sol Ipanema and Ipanema Plaza.

 

These we suggest for those customers who want to go to the gay night-life places such as discos, bars and non-hustlers saunas and when they want to stay near the beach (the gay beach).

 

The 2 in Leblon are: Marina All Suites and Marina Palace.

 

These two are only suggested for romantic gay couples who want an upscale and more sophisticated environment, away from the busy Copacabana-Ipanema neighborhoods. These hotels are the favourites of people who want seaview and enjoy a cozy and romantic atmosphere with their loved ones.

 

1 in Barra: Sheraton

 

This is the favourite of Brazilian gay executives who come to the city for conventions and trade shows. It's known that this hotel's sauna is a great place for gay businessmen develop new contacts...

Not many foreign tourists stay here though.

 

All of these hotels are fine and we highly recommend them.

 

The Copacabana hotels are the most budget ones, while Leblon, Ipanema and Barra are more pricely.

 

The recent complaints regarding both Atlântico and Royal were already reported to them, and they promised solutions in the short term.

 

Regarding the noise at Royal, we strongly suggest that you complain at front desk if it bothers you (I'm sure it must affect some apartments especially the ones next to the swimming pool which is being fixed), and they will promptly change you to another room far away from the noise.

 

Our experience with all these hotels tells us that they are more than willing to do anything extra they can, so that you'll keep coming back. It's just a matter of voicing your complaints while still at the hotel; and if you book the hotel through us, just complain to us 'cause we will make sure the matter is solved on your behalf.

 

Um abraço a todos,