Sadly - A carpet cleaners dream
It wasn't so much the age of the building, but rather the smell of the room that we objected to. We were shown 2 other rooms by an enthusiastic man who spoke a little English and who applauded my attempts at Portuguese. Sadly the bellboys attempts at enthusiasm were overwhelmed by the "perfumey" smell of the rooms, to which we were originally shown. It was as though they were trying desperately to cover up another very strong oder with a carpet de-oderizer. The resulting smell was vertually unbearable for even a few minutes. The carpets were dark with filth and I refused the first 2 rooms we were shown, because of these reasons. The 3rd room didn't have a good view (important to me) but the smell was tolerable for the 3 nights we spent there. When we go back to Sao Paulo again (friendly people, good food, and great culture), we will be sure to pay a little bit more and stay at another hotel, to be able to breath easier and take our shoes off in the room, without fear.