I have already written a few reviews of this hotel and have stayed more times there than I care to count. I have always been very sympathetic to it but I feel that a number of past issues have not been dealt with and in many cases gotten worse.

Before anything I will begin by saying that they are renovating the rooms which is a welcome development in spite of the fact that they are not particularly dated or shabby. Rooms are of very good size and all have at least partial ocean view. Bathroom toiletries are nondescript, bordering too cheap.

Doorman: we arrived by car and asked if we were going to check in, which we answered positively. Nobody came to get our bags. In previous instances this would never have happened. It is true that they never had a really professional door staff, there is usually a lot of talking around among the employees and not enough attention paid to guests, but it is now at an unacceptable level. I noticed that at least one of the very friendly and professional porters is gone.

Beach service: it has also gotten worse. It was never really at a 5 star level, it also suffers from the same disease that seems to affect the hotel entrance staff.

Parking: remains disorganized and slow.

Front desk and concierge: these have always been strong points and remain as such.

Floor carpets: this is for me a big problem, the carpets always look and actually are dirty. If they are renovating the rooms they need to change them and do it fast. It leaves a horrible impression. I have to say these are the dirtiest looking hotel corridors I have seen bar none.

Breakfast: same quality which is not to say much but they seem to have a new baker/bakery that has considerably improved the quality of baked products. However as I have said in previous reviews, it is not at the level commensurate with a 5 star ranking.

I know how difficult it is to run a hotel but what used to be a decently tight ship is no longer so. I will try this property again and hope that my next review is more positive but for the time being I really recommend that they do not rest on past laurels. They no longer apply.

Stayed there for 1 week...the hotel is very nice...the rooms are nice...the staff is great...room service is excelent (24hrs)...and the breakfast buffet is very very good.
Just a couple of significant downers:
1st...the rooms are very nice with balcony, spacious and comfortable but housekeeping decided to clean our floors finally after the third day of our stay and probably did it a couple of times more until the day of our check-out...not good at all...
2nd...the rooms all have ocean views but if you get a room that´s towards the inner part of the building, there´s absolutely no way you´ll get any sun at any time of the day unless you get a higher floor...this makes the room very cold and breezy...doesn´t sound that bad???...wait till it´s a sunny 90°f outside and you´re wearing a sweater and socks in your room at noon.

After landing at the Jacarepagua airport in Barra, a suburb of Rio,
we proceeded by taxi to the nearby Sheraton Barra Hotel. It has a wonderful view of the beach, is right on a busy thoroughfare with lots a good restaurants and is everything that you would expect a Sheraton to be. The rooms are very spacious, well appointed and quiet. The lobby and lounge areas are the same. The exterior and entryways are large, well lit and well manned. The reception staff are fluent in english and extremely helpful. Just what you would expect. The city, on the other hand, what little I did get to see - IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!

I was on the Sheraton Barra Last weekend.
Since I am a gold SPG member I was expecting a big nice suite, in front of the ocean. I had booked online a "Junior Suite", so at least and without any upgrade I hoped to get an amazing room.

Well I have to agree with some of the previous comment, the room stinks a bit, it is not a terrible stench but you would not expect this on a "junior suite" of a "5 star" hotel.

The room is well appointed, but the bed is only Queen Size.
Also I found some hairs on the drain of the shower, which was disgusting.
Finally the ocean view is only partial, and I found a constant wierd noise which I couldn't find where it came from (like being on a plane).

The breakfast, was ok but I was expecting it to have more options.
The best of the hotel is the L'occitanne Spa, I took a massage there it was a wonderful experience.

Next time I think I rather stay on another hotel, and just go to the SPA.