New Tivoli Mofarrej hotel in São Paulo: candid photos

 



São Paulo is a far cry from New York in terms of hotel openings: five stars are hard to come by... So it was quite exciting to welcome last year to the short list of luxury hotels the hotel Tivoli Mofarrej. The place isn't exactly new (ex-Sheraton, ex-Meliá): but the new owners gave it a complete revamp. 

 

The lobby has soaring ceilings and plenty of glass...

.

My room was nice and boutiquey in style. Déja vu, but very comfortable.





It had a small reading area...


Here's the bedroom of one of their pricier corner suites:




If you go ask for a room facing Nove de Julho avenue: gorgeous views at night!

Room service food is surprisingly good...



Especially the burger:



Lovely chocolate treat given out at turn-down service:


The breakfast buffet...




The ugly orange pool:



Don't miss the rooftop restaurant, Arola Vintetres – it's been getting great reviews.

And before booking, make sure to compare the rates on their official website and the ones quoted on the site of the Leading Hotels of the World association.
Last time I checked, Leading offered a lower rate...

Tivoli São Paulo – Mofarrej
Alameda Santos, 1437
Jardins
Tel: (55) 11 3146 5900
Email: reservas.htsp@tivolihotels.com

Hotel Fasano, in São Paulo: a video

by Karin Dauch, photos by Alexandra Forbes

I’m on the NY-SP shuttle quite often. A room away from home which is not only consecutively but consistently excellent, deserves to be called a second home.

It’s not always that I stay at my favorite, Fasano, but every time I do, I am always pleased to see the welcoming concierge, helpful staff, thoughtful waiters and automatic upgrades for repeat customers. And of course, you can’t beat the location, positioned in the heart of Jardins, the most charming neighborhood of this bustling metropolis. Restaurants (Dalva & Dito, Antiquarius, Arabia) are walking distance, not to mention the best stores lined up on nice to stroll streets (Louis Vuitton and Cartier are on the adjacent block.)

When I last visited less than a month ago, I made a little movie that captures the soul of this modern classic paulistano...

Hotel Fasano: Rua Vittorio Fasano, 88, Jardins, São Paulo, tel. 3896-4000

Escapada a Sao Paulo: consejos del conserje en el nuevo hotel Sheraton Sao Paulo World Trade Center.(PREGUNTELE AL CONSERJE): An article from: Latin Trade

São Paulo's top 3 hotels: Fasano, Emiliano and Unique

I get this question all the time: "I'm coming to São Paulo, where should I stay?" The answer is easy, and I’ll share it here: São Paulo huge offering of hotels and flats (serviced apartments for longer stays) have three clear winners. Few will argue that the city’s best hotels are the Fasano, the Emiliano and the Unique, in that order. Here’s why:

Hotel Emiliano
The 57-room Emiliano hotel, in the Jardins, São Paulo's poshest district, is steps away from all the best shops and cafés. There’s a great restaurant and champagne bar. Rooms are done in blond woods with pullout fridges. Very nice. Rua Oscar Freire 384, tel. 55 11 3068 4399



Hotel Fasano
This is understated luxury at its best, Milanese style. The lobby is constantly abuzz with the comings and goings of well-known and well-heeled paulistas (the reception per se is hidden behind the elevators and is as discreet as can be, pictured below).

To the right of the lobby, you’ll find Fasano, the best and by far the most stunning Italian restaurant in town.
To its left, tucked away in a corner, is the ultra-cool Baretto, a hotel bar in the old style, with live music every night. Every so often, owner Rogerio Fasano invites an A-list crooner to play a show or two. Caetano Veloso, Marina, you name it – all the bigs have been here. Rooms are decorated with rugs, books and antiques hand-picked by owner Rogerio Fasano on his travels. The location in the heart of Jardins and steps away from some of the best boutiques in town doesn't hurt, either.
Rua Vittorio Fasano 88, tel. 55 11 3896 4077

Hotel Unique
The Unique lives up to its name: the iconic architecture resembles a slice of watermelon on stilts, with round windows in lieu of black seeds.

The hotel, designed by famed architect Ruy Ohtake, is equally breathtaking inside: the soaring lobby has a nook with reclaimed wood trunks for furniture, for example. The Unique is near the Ibirapuera Park, and a short cab ride from the heart of Jardins or Itaim. The all-white bedrooms are as far from cookie-cutter as it gets, with bathrooms opening into the rooms. The rooftop red-tiled pool and adjacent lounge boast incredible views.
Avenida Brigadero Luís Antônio, São Paulo, 55 11 3055 4700



Soon.... I will talk about the other great hotels of São Paulo, which are:
Tivoli Mofarrej
Renaissance
Sofitel
Grand Hyatt
Meliá Jardim Europa

More São Paulo on this blog:

Bars/Nightlife:

• Dry, São Paulo's best bar, and Pink Elephant club

Hotels:

• Ex-Sheraton Mofarrej Hotel reopens as Tivoli São Paulo Mofarrej

Sightseeing/Attractions:

• Private and customized tours of São Paulo
• The best of Brazilian street art on show at Choque Cultural gallery
• A slideshow of my favourite São Paulo images
• The Baixo Augusta district is booming with new restaurants and clubs,
  and The New York Times has it covered
  

Fashion/Shopping:

• Marc Jacobs rocks the São Paulo fashion world and opens a flagship in town
  
• São Paulo Fashion Week: what is it?
• Rua Oscar Freire, in the Jardins district, has the best shopping
• The best beachwear: Lenny, Rosa Chá, Cia. Marítima
• Is/bella, Pelu, Jo de Mer and other Baixo Jardins finds
• Beach Couture: luxe beachwear in the Jardins district
• Christian Louboutin opens store in the Shopping Iguatemi mall
• Daslu, the Barneys New York of São Paulo: high luxe
• Who is Eliana Tranchesi, the owner of Daslu
• The flagship of Rio brand Farm, in Vila Madalena: a "living" lowrise designed by hyped architecture firm Triptyque
  

Dining:

• Index of all the restaurants in Itaim, in alphabetical order
• Kinoshita, the best Japanese restaurant in São Paulo
  
• New restaurants, February 09: Dalva e Dito, Millesapori, Vito, Na Cozinha, Arturito
• A review of my first lunch at Vito, owned by chef André Mifano
  
• Maní, one of São Paulo's best restaurants
• Where to eat Brazilian food: Maní, Brasil a Gosto, Capim Santo, D.O.M., Dalva e Dito
  
• Quintal do Bráz: São Paulo's best pizza
• Dui, Bel Coelho's new restaurant, opens in May in the Jardins district
• Second outpost of P.J.Clarke's set to open in the Jardins district
• Tappo Trattoria, one of São Paulo's top Italian restaurants
• Gaston Acurio is set to open a La Mar Cevicheria in São Paulo
• Forneria San Paolo in the Daslu megastore: a disappointment
• La Casserole, classic French Bistro in the Old Downtown (Centro)
  

Alex Atala:

• Alex Atala serves Amazonian ingredients to Spanish chefs at D.O.M.
• Interview with chef Alex Atala
• Dalva e Dito, Alex Atala's new restaurants in the Jardins district
• Full report of my lunch at Dalva e Dito, with photos
  

Coffee Shops, Pastry Shops, snacks:

• Nespresso boutique, Jardins

Japanese restaurants:

• Kinoshita, my favourite Japanese restaurant in São Paulo
• A dish-by-dish report on Kinoshita's tasting menu, with photos
  
• The best traditional (old-style) Japanese restaurants in São Paulo
• Jun Sakamoto, the Masa of Brazil

Hotel Emiliano, in São Paulo: great champagne lounge

There are many things to love about the Emiliano: the perfect location in the heart of the Jardins district, the large rooms with refrigerated drawers in the sitting areas, the white Havaianas placed in the bathrooms in lieu of slippers, the cool lobby with Campana brothers furniture.

But I recently discovered something else: the Emiliano has a great champagne and caviar lounge. They serve the real stuff, from the Caspian Sea, and also less expensive roe. They also offer very cool bubbly and roe tastings: Brazilian sparkling wines with Spanish and Chilean roe tastings go for 125 reais per person; rosé champagne and the same roe costs 550 reais per person, etc.

The champagne list is extensive and includes rare finds such as a 1989 Krug.

Champagne Bar & Caviar: Hotel Emiliano, Rua Oscar Freire, 384, São Paulo, tel. 3068-4399

Liza Minelli sings tonight at Via Funchal, in São Paulo

Twitter-style post, just to say that Liza Minelli is in São Paulo, and will sing shortly at Via Funchal.
She's staying at the Grand Hyatt. which is near the venue but very far from everything else that really matters. Lame. Guess she won't be seen strolling down Oscar Freire street.

Ex-Sheraton Mofarrej Hotel reopens as Tivoli São Paulo Mofarrej

At long last, the tired old hotel that became famous in its incarnation as Sheraton Mofarrej was closed down and renovated, and just reopened completely transformed. The new name is Tivoli São Paulo-Mofarrej and it's now owned by the Portuguese group Espírito Santo. It's currently only in soft opening, so the rates are lower than they will be after the official inauguration on March 26.

After six months of renovations helmed by architect Patricia Anastassiadis, the Mofarrej is hardly recognizeable - in a good way. Lines are clean, colours are few - think lots of black and white, straight lines, long geometric counters in the rooms doubling as work desks.

I wasn't able to book a room online, so I called them directly. That's how I found out that the less expensive rooms cost 460 reais per night on the weekend (including breakfast) or 1008 during the week. HUGE diference in price! That tells me that the hotel is fully geared to businessmen.
Although the hotel seems elegant, the décor is a bit déjà vu...




I'm so over this standard boutiquey look...
They'll soon open the rooftop restaurant, which is guaranteed to have one of the best views in town, and the bar-lounge off the lobby, which faces the nifty orange pool.

The huge spa carries the Banyan Tree stamp of approval.




www.tivolihotels.com
Tivoli São Paulo - Mofarrej
Alameda Santos, 1437
Tel: (55) 11 3146 5900
Email: reservas.htsp@tivolihotels.com