InterContinental São Paulo by IHG in Sao Paulo

I booked a Classic King Room but was told I was being "upgraded" to the Paulista Suite (Room 401). Despite the staff being nice, this stay was far from a 5-star experience. The InterContinental brand promises luxury, but this property is tired, noisy, and in desperate need of renovation. The hotel has 20 floors, yet this "suite" is on the 4th floor, which meant we were right on top of the restaurant chimneys. The hallways and—shockingly—even the clean towels and linens smelled of food and kitchen grease. The room itself was a dark corner unit with small windows, an impractical layout, and worn-out carpets. It felt like we were placed in an old wing of the hotel.
Sleep quality was zero. The AC is deafening; I measured 50 dB from the bed (when luxury standard is under 30 dB). The staff was kind enough to send a technician immediately, but it’s obvious the unit needs replacement, not repair. On top of that, the curtains are translucent, so we were woken up at 6:00 AM by full sunlight. When I explained the issues, the staff sent a note and chocolates. While the gesture was appreciated, chocolate doesn't fix sleep deprivation.
The staff was generally nice and checked in on us, and the breakfast was generous (though oddly missing greens or salad). However, attention to detail is missing. We were two guests but provided with only one robe and one pair of slippers, and housekeeping never corrected this even after seeing we were using them. The cleaning was also incomplete as I found a bottle cap on the floor that wasn't ours. You can tell the staff is trying, but they are fighting a losing battle against a building that feels like a 3-star hotel falling to pieces. If you are assigned Room 401, decline it.

My stay at the InterContinental is extremely disappointing and nowhere near what you would expect from a hotel claiming to offer 5-star service. Both the room quality and the overall guest experience fell far below the InterContinental brand standards.

**Room Condition Well Below Standard:**
The room was in poor condition: the carpet was dirty, the sofa had stains and holes, and the windows and blinds were practically useless. The overall feeling was worn, unclean, and absolutely not up to a luxury hotel’s standard.

**Neglected Facilities:**
The pool area looked terrible and completely uninviting, a real shame with 30°C weather. It felt like no effort was being made to maintain or present the space, which should have been one of the hotel’s highlights.

**Constant Construction Noise:**
To make matters worse, there was construction happening directly in front of my room. Work went on late into the evening and resumed at 6am, waking me up even with the windows closed. Rest, work, or relaxation were basically impossible.

**Unhelpful and Dismissive Staff Reaction:**
What made the experience truly frustrating was the staff’s attitude when I kindly asked to be moved to another side of the building. Instead of offering help, the first response was that I would need to pay extra fees. When I mentioned that the room itself didn’t meet the standards of the InterContinental brand, dirty carpet, damaged furniture, noise. I was dismissed outright until I pressed the issue more firmly.

I genuinely dislike conflict, and having traveled such a long distance for work, I expected some comfort and rest, not to find myself arguing for basic service.

Overall, this hotel failed on multiple levels: room quality, facilities, noise management, and most importantly, customer service. This experience was far from the InterContinental standard and I cannot recommend this property.

The boss said no, it's old and outdated, not at the level of domestic Intercontinental. There are more choices for the same price. Because lxs booked first, we booked with friends and chose it.