Fairmont debuts in South America

Paris-based Accor has opened the Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana right on Copacabana Beach. Not only is the hotel the brand's Brazil debut, but it is also the first Fairmont in South America.

The hotel, designed by Patrícia Anastassiadis to evoke the style of the 1950s, has 375 guestrooms. Public space includes several restaurants and bars, two swimming pools, a spa, a sauna, a fitness center and 13 meeting rooms spread over 1,500 square meters. The lobby has a concept store from luxury jewelry company H. Stern.

Fairmont's portfolio now has 77 properties in 27 countries. Most recently, the brand opened hotels in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, China and Morocco.

Accor’s North and Central America portfolio has increased 34 percent over the past two years, with another 23 hotels and 4,400 rooms currently in the pipeline, including luxury projects Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Sofitel Mexico City Reforma and Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences.

"This is an exciting time for development in the North and Central America region and our pipeline offers a glimpse into Accor’s larger growth strategy worldwide," Greg Doman, SVP/development, Accor North and Central America, said in June. "We’re seeing a strong focus on the expansion of luxury and lifestyle brands while continuing to grow our established midscale and economy brands in some of the region’s top destinations and gateway cities."