SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Estanplaza, a homegrown lodging enterprise, is
on course to make its mark as a small but potent force here in the
biggest city in South America.
With four metropolitan hotels in operation and two more set for
launch this summer, Estanplaza has its sights set on business
travelers who seek practical, moderately priced accommodations that
also offer a dollop of creature comforts and a healthy dose of
comity and personal attention.
Adener Rocha, the company's marketing director, is an executive
whose enthusiasm illustrates the approach of this family of
hotels.
"We think we are the first company to offer commercial travelers
-- and leisure guests, too -- the boutique concept that has grown
so popular in the U.S.," he said.
Speaking over demitasses in a tidy piano bar tucked into a
corner of the spare lobby of the Estanplaza Ibirapuera -- the
company's property in the city's Moema neighborhood -- Rocha said,
"Our hotels average only 120 to 150 rooms each, and we go to great
lengths to see that the properties -- each of which features a
different decor -- are staffed by friendly, energetic and young
people who want to have a future in the hotel business.
"We are, of course, looking to create a comfortable, relaxed
ambience, and we believe we have been successful so far in doing
so."
According to Rocha, Estanplaza has been able to put its stamp on
its hotels because the company controls all aspects of the
enterprise, every step from the orginal concept to construction and
all the way through to in-house management.
"For example, we run our own food and beverage operation; we do
not lease it out. We have complete control over the food we serve
and how we serve it, which we think is very important," he
said.
The Estanplaza Ibirapuera is typical of the properties in the
company's portfolio, which is slated to expand to seven Sao Paulo
hotels next year and two long-stay properties in 2003.
Less than a year old, the pencil-thin Estanplaza Ibirapuera has
154 executive-type rooms, which, for the most part, are compact but
well-configured suites comprising a small sitting and work area
(with desk, chair, lamp, phone hookups and sofa), a bedroom and a
bathroom with a stall shower.
More than adequate for one person, the somewhat tight
accommodations either will enhance a couple's relationship or
strain it before long. And unless they packed sparely, two persons
might have to live out of a suitcase considering the room's modest
closet space.
In addition to the previously mentioned lobby piano bar, the
property features a restaurant that serves breakfast (free), lunch
and dinner (an inexpensive but handsome buffet, costing $10 to $20
a person), a modest outdoor swimming pool and a small fitness
center.
There is one major caveat for clients visiting Sao Paulo: The
Estanplaza Ibirapuera is hardly centrally located, which can be a
distinct disadvantage in a bustling city of 17 million spread out
over 15,000 square miles.
Also, although it is about a 10-mile ride from Congonhas, the
domestic airport, a bus link to Guarulhos, the international
airport, takes forever in heavy traffic -- which seems to be the
case round the clock.
And while the lush Ibirapuera Park and the Museum of
Contemporary Art within it are but a short walk from the hotel,
getting anywhere else is a major production, necessitating a cab
ride to a distant subway station.
Estanplaza hotels can be booked though the major CRSs or with
Florida-based Air Projects at (888) 298-6203.
Japan Air offers U.S. service to city
NEW YORK -- You might be surprised to know that in addition to
all of the usual suspects flying between the U.S. and Sao Paulo,
Brazil, Japan Airlines offers nonstop service to the Brazilian city
from both New York's Kennedy and Los Angeles.
And why not?
Sao Paulo, after all, is home to the largest Japanese community
outside Japan.
The New York service, which was inaugurated in November 1999,
operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays on 747
aircraft -- the flights originate in Tokyo -- and departs Sao Paulo
the night after for arrival in the U.S. the following morning.
The Los Angeles-Sao Paulo route is a once-a-week affair,
departing the U.S. Wednesdays and leaving Brazil Thursday night for
a Friday morning U.S. arrival.
The service offers a choice of Western and Japanese cuisine, and
choosing the latter is a great way to plunge into the delights of
cosmopolitan Sao Paulo's multicultural cuisines.
Tip to travelers: Visitors to Brazil from the U.S. must obtain a
visa.
-- J.R.