Copacabana Palace — Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

About the building

The Copacabana Palace is Rio's most famous hotel — a white, wedding-cake landmark facing the beach that has defined glamour in the city for over a century.

Designed by the French architect Joseph Gire and opened in 1923, it was for years the only luxury hotel in South America. It is now run by Belmond, and remains the address against which every other hotel in Rio is measured.

Address: Avenida Atlântica 1702, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro

History

The hotel was built between 1919 and 1923 at the initiative of President Epitácio Pessoa, to house visitors to the centenary of Brazilian independence. Its first guest was King Albert I of Belgium, and it has hosted royalty, film stars and musicians ever since.

Notable guests

Orson Welles The American director of Citizen Kane, who stayed for eight months in 1942 and famously threw furniture from his window into the pool.
Marlene Dietrich The German-American film star and singer, one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses of the 1930s, who performed in the hotel's Golden Room.
Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales, who stayed and swam in the hotel pool during her 1991 visit to Brazil.
The Rolling Stones The British rock band, who have stayed at the hotel during their Rio concerts.