Affordable Hotels in Fort Lauderdale|"Hotel Price Hikes In Brazil"

Source             :   theguardian.com
Category        :   Affordable Hotels in Fort Lauderdale
By                  :    Rio de Janeiro
Posted By     :    Hotels In Fort Lauderdale

Affordable Hotels in Fort Lauderdale

"One more team stamps its passport for 2014," enthused the TV Globo commentator as live coverage of the England-Poland game came to an end. But a note of doubt crept into his voice as cameras panned across delirious England fans celebrating their team's 2-0 victory. "These children are going to invade Brazil, huh," he noted, dryly. Brazil is bracing itself for an avalanche of English fans – but many may balk at the country's prices. Rio de Janeiro, where the final will be held, has a shortage of hotel rooms and many are already fully booked up even though they are charging premium rates during the tournament. Inflated prices are already causing concern. In August Brazilian tourist board Embratur asked Fifa and the hotel sector to look at hotel charges because of "stratospheric growth" in prices. A survey found that some room rates had gone up by nearly 600%, while average room rate in Rio for June, when the World Cup begins were $461 (£289). A cheaper option for more adventurous fans will be the increasing number of small guesthouses situated in favelas that until recently were ruled by heavily armed drug gangs. Since 2008 a massive public security "pacification" campaign has allowed police to regain control of dozens of neighbourhoods which had been off-limits to the authorities for years.

To reach the Maze, a hotel run by British expat Bob Nadkarni, visitors need to walk down a narrow winding alleyway, past tiny bare brick and breezeblock houses of the Tavares Bastos favela in central Rio. The effect would be almost medieval if it wasn't for the sagging tangle of electricity wires drooping above, and the tiny hole-in-the-wall businesses visitors pass – a bar, a hairdressers and a shop. On Wednesday morning, a man wheeled a fridge down the alley past an overflowing plastic bucket positioned under an overflow. Two policemen clutching automatic rifles pressed themselves against a wall in a training session for close combat. Further down the alleyway, an officer alerted another group of trainees to possible sniper positions in the rooftops above. Nadkarni began work on The Maze 30 years ago, and his guesthouse is a labyrinth of narrow staircases, sudden turrets, hidden corners, and poky, oddly shaped rooms.

"People who come here don't want a common, tourist hotel that might be more comfortable, with air conditioning and TV," said Nadkarni's wife, Marluce da Silva. "It is very tranquil." She showed off the guesthouse's best suite – a small room that for five nights in the World Cup costs £1,000, with a double bed, a clothes rail, a mosaic tiled bathroom with shower, and a balcony offering stunning views across the bay and three wooden chairs – one of which was broken. The same room normally costs Real 180 - £52 – a night, a quarter of the price. The Maze offers the same five-night package in a single room with no balcony for £700, or for £350 in one of the nine beds in its tiny dormitory with no lockers and just one bathroom. Breakfast comes included. Brazilian football fans welcomed England's World Cup qualification. Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard are both popular players and England football shirts can be seen on Rio streets.

"Rooney is a very decisive man for Manchester United and is not different in England. He can make the difference in a tough game," said Miguel Salek, 31, a Brazilian England fan who writes for a football website. "The current England team is very competitive." But Salek admitted that his beloved England are less of a favourite than bigger teams such as Brazil, Argentina and Germany. Others shared his doubts. "I like the new boys, but I have doubts if the oldies will deliver," said Antonio Mendonça, 40, a São Paulo headhunter. "I think this England team is the strongest in recent times, mixing the experience of Gerrard and Rooney with a promising new generation of players," said Frank Honma, 40, a São Paulo video editor. "I'm happy that England are in the cup, it is my second World Cup team without any doubt."

Source : theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/16/hotel-price-hike-brazil-favela-alternative