Fasano is one of Brazil’s foremost hospitality groups, comprising several 5-star hotels and restaurants across the country. It all began in São Paulo way back in 1902 when Vittorio Fasano arrived in Brazil from Milan and opened the Brasserie Paulista. Still a family business, successive generations have expanded the empire over the years and Fasano São Paulo was their first hotel to open in 2003. There’s now several other hotels in cities such as Rio and Belo Horizonte and, most recently, a deluxe beach-front property in Trancoso. It’s safe to say then that these guys know what they’re doing.
Walking into Fasano São Paulo, located in the well-heeled Jardins neighbourhood, you can tell it’s from a company with a hospitality background. You enter straight into a beautiful dimly lit lobby bar, with leather armchairs, reading lamps, and coffee table books on art and photography piled high. We nearly dropped our bags and headed straight to the bar for a negroni.
Reception is hidden all the way around the corner at the back of the lobby and you’ll pass the main restaurant and a small piano bar on the way. The hotel is designed by architects Isay Weinfeld and Márcio Kogan and it exudes big New York energy, from the imposing art deco style tower of the exterior to the cool mid-century interiors. It’s definitely the best-designed hotel we stayed at in Brazil.
Rooms come in all different shapes and sizes but even the smallest, which we were in, had the same great design and luxurious home comforts – wood parquet flooring, designer furniture, artworks, and a supremely comfy bed. Seeing as most of the city was shut down on New Year’s Eve when we were staying, we were glad to have a nice room to hang out in. We even ordered room service and popped the Fasano own-label Prosecco you can buy from their boutique store around the corner.
Not content with the two bars and restaurant on the ground floor, there’s actually another restaurant, Nonno Ruggero, on the first floor that has a small outdoor terrace, and this is where breakfast is served each morning. There’s an epic buffet of fresh fruits, breads, and sweet things to choose from as well as cooked dishes, like your classic omelettes, and local specialities such as fried tapioca stuffed with cheese and ham. Fasano also wins the award for the best ‘pao de queijo’ we had all trip – and we tried a lot.
Elsewhere in the hotel, there’s an indoor pool, sauna and steam room on the top floor, as well as a spa and gym. All useful to have when trying to work off the various fried foods and the famous mortadella sandwiches you’ll no doubt be eating in São Paulo.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in SP, Fasano is definitely the best in town and well worth splashing out on.
R. Vitório Fasano, 88 – Cerqueira César, São Paulo – SP, 01414-020, Brazil
fasano.com.br