Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo may be an old city with plenty of historical flavor, but don't expect to find any opulent old-world hotels. Two competing hotel concepts have dominated for the last few years, through the city's boom (and subsequent glut) of construction. There are the ever-fashionable boutique hotels, beacons of Brazilian modernism, and there are the big business hotels in the contemporary international style.

The Grand Hyatt, you may have guessed, is one of the latter; and you would not be wrong. This 22-floor, 470-room hotel towers over the Avenida das Nações Unidas, in the heart of the Marginal Pinheiros district, a location conveniently near a number of corporate offices and many of Sao Paulo's shopping centers.

The style is contemporary, not outspokenly modernist, but well above and beyond the standard for business hotels, which can tend toward the beige and anonymous. The rooms feature a generous helping of Brazilian oak and marble, and local artworks and photographic prints go a long way toward establishing some personality. Functional luxuries abound as well, with expansive, vaguely Japanese bathrooms (oversized showers and separate soaking tubs) and all the requisite technological gadgetry, such as flat-screen satellite TV and broadband internet. One low-tech benefit of a skyscraper hotel bears consideration — the floor-to-ceiling windows allow for a surplus of natural light and panoramic city views.

Of course there are a number of bars and restaurants, serving a mix of national cuisines (French, Italian, Japanese) quite fitting to this most culturally mixed of cities. Leisure travelers will appreciate the Amanary Spa, home to the city's best-known manicurist, among other comforts, from steam baths to hot stone treatments. As in any top-class business hotel, there is a pool (one outdoor and one indoor, actually) and a complete fitness center.

Conference facilities are extensive to the point of overkill, housed in the Espaço Grand Hyatt next door, with butler service and capacity for up to 1400 people. In short, this is the place to stay for business travelers in Sao Paulo, and more than luxurious enough for the leisure traveler as well. Sao Paulo has, frankly, too many hotels — so you can expect to have the run of the place, and low rates to boot.

Travel advisory: Passport and visa requirements differ from country to country. Please check with your local authority before booking.

How to get there: Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo is approximately a 50 minute drive from Guarulhos International Airport.