REGIONAL REPORT : LATIN AMERICA
COPACABANA PALACE : READY FOR THE PARTY
Nearly 10 years ago , Olympics officials came to the Belmond Copacabana Palace to see Rio de Janeiro ’ s bid to host the 2016 Summer Games . “ Everything happened here ,” General Manager Andrea Natal says . With Rio 2016 coming in August , the Copacabana is preparing for a global party .
The 216-room hotel is sold out for 18 days straight . “ We gave 97 % of our rooms to the Games ,” Natal says , but there will be some predictability : “ People aren ’ t here as normal tourists — they will leave in the morning and come back in the late afternoon , or they will be in the hotel working , having breakfast , lunch and dinner together .”
What about security , especially after recent terrorist attacks ? “ I think we are very well prepared ,” Natal says . Organizers “ have all countries working together with Rio 2016 . Of course , after all these events — the event in Paris has people worried — but ( the Olympics ) is an important event not only for Brazil and Rio but for the world .” She declines to detail how her hotel will account for the influx of tourists except to say , “ We are changing our security plan a little bit .”
The games are a welcome bright spot amid a recession that economists predict will hit bottom in 2017 and not recover until 2018 . Favorable exchange rates due to a currency devaluation in 2014 and 2015 has brought more international tourists , Natal says , and that will be buoyed by a visa waiver for visitors from the U . S ., Canada , Australia and Japan from June to September . “ As hoteliers , we ’ ve been fighting for the visa waiver forever .” The goal is to make it permanent , she says .
Natal says the hotel ’ s first quarter is 34 % above last year ’ s , and the city is ready for its moment in the sun : “ We are really ready . Like Christ the Redeemer ”— the city ’ s soaring mountaintop monument —“ with open arms .”
Andrea Natal , Belmond Copacabana Palace
Perfectly Presented , Snap Drape .
34 HOTELS March 2016 www . hotelsmag . com