The Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is an important historical landmark in this amazing city which has been welcoming guests since it opened in 1923. While you look at these 5 Fascinating Facts concerning the hotel you’ll begin to understand why it is known as the ‘Princess from the Sea’.
It has only had two owners. A destination for your wealthy and the well-known, the hotel has only been sold once. Initially the hotel belonged towards the Guinle family and was bought by Orient-Express Lodges, Trains & Cruises in 1989.
The Copacabana Palace Resort has been a high society location since it opened. Visitors to the hotel over the years have included Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ and was the scene of their first dance in the movie, “Flying down Rio”. Carmen Miranda, the Rolling Stones, Theodore Roosevelt, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Lady Di, King George VI, Rod Stewart and several other well-known people have enjoyed the luxury and elegance provided by the hotel.
The hotel maintains a Golden Book. This guest book is actually a record of all the renowned people who have stayed at the hotel since the 1920s when it opened towards the present day. From Lord Bessborough in 1923, Baron Henri de Rotschild and Noel Coward in 1931, Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, Douglas Fairbank, Jr. and Ed Sullivan in 1941, John Wayne in 1952, Kirk Douglas in 1963, Dionne Warwick in 1974, Ozzy Osbourne, White Snake and Iron Maiden in 1985, Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1999, the renowned list goes on.
There are three parts of the hotel. The executive floor has 7 penthouse suites and 26 rooms. The Tower Wing contains 78 suites. The main building of the resort has 147 suites. The entire resort sits on more than 12,000 square meters. Depending on what time of year you visit and the room chosen, the cost per night is from $240 to $1250.
The Copacabana Casino, which belonged towards the Copacabana Palace Hotel closed in 1946. In the 1930s to 1946, the Copacabana Casino welcomed friends such as Bing Crosby and Errol Flynn, who played the tables. In 1946, president Eurico Caspar Dutra declared gambling illegal and banned gambling through the country and then the casino closed. The casino underwent renovations costing $4 million and was reopened in 2006. The project was closely overseen to make certain that all renovations were original.
As you can see, the Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro is a very interesting place to visit. When I was walking by one night, I heard all these shrill screams from young girls. I walked up to see what the fuss was and I found out that Justin Bieber was in town and a stretched limousine had pulled up in front of the hotel and the girls went crazy. It was so funny to me. It is the place for celebrities to stay when they’re here. I went in the lobby once to buy a ticket for the Carnival Sambodromo parade and it was really top notch. That’s as close as I’ve been but you should definitely check it out.