A hotel got shot in the crossfire of a presidential scandal, hosted the first screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and somehow still manages to feel like the calmest place on one of the world's loudest beaches. That's Copacabana Palace in a nutshell: a century-old Art Deco block that has watched Rio become Rio, and never quite lost its nerve.
Built to mark a century of Brazilian independence, it opened a year late in 1923, and has spent the hundred-plus years since collecting a client list that reads like a fever dream: Walt Disney, Marlene Dietrich, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, and a shooting inside its own walls that made international headlines. It's the kind of place where the marble is real, the stories are mostly true, and the beach out front never really goes to sleep.
Location
The hotel sits directly on Avenida Atlântica, across a mosaicked pavement from Copacabana Beach, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. It's about a 15-minute drive from Santos Dumont Domestic Airport and roughly 45 minutes from Rio de Janeiro International Airport, depending on traffic. There's no garage on site, though valet and private parking are both available for those who bring a car.
From the front steps you're within walking distance of the promenade, the sand, and the general chaos of one of the most photographed beaches on the planet. Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer are both visible from various vantage points around the property, and easily reached by taxi if you want to get closer.
A Century In The Making
The hotel was the brainchild of Octavio Guinle and Francisco Castro Silva, built between 1919 and 1923 at the urging of President Epitácio Pessoa, who wanted somewhere suitably grand to house dignitaries visiting for Brazil's independence centenary celebrations. French architect Joseph Gire designed it, borrowing heavily from two hotels on the French Riviera: the Negresco in Nice and the Carlton in Cannes.
Construction ran into a wall of problems. Carrara marble and Bohemian crystal had to be imported at a time when doing so was neither fast nor simple, the foundations needed to run 14 meters (46 ft) deep, and in 1922 a violent swell tore up Avenida Atlântica and damaged the building's lower floors.
By the time the doors finally opened, the centenary celebrations were long over, but Rio didn't seem to mind. French performer Mistinguett headlined the opening party, and the hotel was banned from letting her show off what were reportedly the most famous legs in Europe at the time.
Its casino, once the beating heart of the building, was shut down in 1946 when Brazil outlawed gambling nationwide. Rather than let the space go to waste, the hotel converted it into a concert hall, which would go on to host performers from Nat King Cole to Ella Fitzgerald.
The building fell into a slow decline through the 1960s and 70s, following the loss of Rio's status as national capital, and even faced the threat of demolition in 1985 before it was declared a protected cultural landmark. Belmond (then trading as Orient-Express) took over in 1989 and set about restoring it to its former standing, a job that seems to have worked, given the parade of A-listers who've checked in since.
Pérgula Restaurant
Pérgula sits by the pool and functions as the hotel's more relaxed dining room, serving Brazilian dishes alongside international staples. It's where breakfast happens each morning, and where a Saturday feijoada buffet draws a crowd, served alongside beer and caipirinhas. On Sundays the restaurant switches to a brunch service, complete with sparkling wine and views out toward the ocean.
Mee Restaurant
Mee is the hotel's Michelin-starred pan-Asian restaurant, and the only one of its kind in Rio to hold that distinction. Chef Alberto Morisawa runs the kitchen, and the wine and sake list runs to around 60 imported varieties. There's also an Omakase counter experience, where the sushi chef takes over the menu decisions entirely, plating a sequence of seasonal dishes for those who'd rather leave it to the professionals.
Hall of Fame
Few hotels can claim to have hosted quite this range of famous faces. Copacabana Palace's guestbook includes Walt Disney, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Josephine Baker, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Orson Welles, Brigitte Bardot, Jayne Mansfield, Paul McCartney, Janis Joplin, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Princess Diana, Bono, Freddie Mercury, Carla Bruni, Halle Berry, Lana Del Rey, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Barry Manilow, among many others. More recently, Shakira reportedly took over the top suite and much of the hotel for her security team during a visit to Rio.
Then there's the darker footnote: in 1928, Brazilian president Washington Luís was shot inside the hotel by his mistress, Italian marquess Elvira Vishi Maurich. He survived, officially treated for what was called appendicitis. Four days later, the marquess was found dead, in what police ruled a suicide.
The Hotel Theater
Once the site of the hotel's casino, the theater opened in 1949 after gambling was banned across Brazil, and quickly became a fixture of Rio's cultural life. Actress Fernanda Montenegro performed there in the 1950s as part of the theater company Os Artistas Unidas, in a run that theater critics still point to as a milestone in Brazilian stage history. The space closed in 1994 and sat dormant for nearly three decades.
Its 2021 restoration, led by architect Ivan Rezende, involved more than 600 craftspeople across 18 different trades. Cement roses framing the stage were hand-carved from jatobá wood, the walls were lined in Brazilian ironwood veneer assembled from a puzzle of panels matched for grain and tone, and the original green velvet seating was recreated using a dye developed specifically for the hotel.
The project won Rezende an award from Rio's Institute of Brazilian Architects in 2021. In 2026, the theater was renamed Teatro Fernanda Montenegro, in honor of the actress whose stage debut took place there in December 1950.
The Rooms
There are 99 rooms and 41 suites at Copacabana Palace, including seven penthouse suites set apart on the building's upper floor. Rooms are finished with freijo or mahogany wood furniture, and bathrooms are done out in pink and white Brazilian marble, a look that runs consistently through the property regardless of category.
Standard rooms split into four types: Superior City View rooms at 32 sq m (344 sq ft), Deluxe City View rooms at 37 sq m (398 sq ft), Superior Partial Ocean View rooms at 29 sq m (312 sq ft), and Deluxe Ocean View rooms at 37 sq m (398 sq ft), each accommodating up to two guests.
Suites range considerably further, from Ocean View Suites at 50 sq m (538 sq ft) up to the vast Seven-Bedroom Penthouse Suite, which spans 832 sq m (8,955 sq ft) and sleeps up to 14.
One Bedroom Ocean View Suite
At 50 sq m (538 sq ft) and accommodating up to three guests, this suite looks straight out over Copacabana Beach. Some come with a Juliet-style balcony, and each includes a separate sitting room and a bathroom with both a bath and a separate shower.
Signature Suite
Part of the hotel's Signature Suites & Villas collection, these rooms come with oversized balconies looking directly onto Copacabana Beach and a noticeably higher level of service attached. Extras include round-trip transfers, a dedicated host, daily breakfast, complimentary laundry, and access to the hotel's sixth-floor pool, along with a daily sundowner and canapés.
Two Bedroom Copacabana Suite
Formed by connecting two of the hotel's most storied suites, this room comes with semi-private access to the sixth-floor pool and views that take in both the ocean and the beach below. It includes two bedrooms, each with its own en-suite bathroom, a separate sitting area, a guest washroom, and a wet bar. Guests staying here also get personalized butler service, a welcome bottle of Moët & Chandon, and a daily sundowner with canapés.
Carnival Ball
Copacabana Palace has been tied to Rio's Carnival since almost the beginning. Its first Carnival ball was held in 1924, a year after opening, and the tradition has continued more or less unbroken since.
Salon Nobre, the hotel's grand ballroom, hosts the event each year beneath its chandeliers, drawing a crowd that has historically included the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Orson Welles, and Christian Louboutin. The adjoining Golden Room has its own performance history, having hosted both Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald over the years.
The Pool
The hotel's half-Olympic-sized pool sits at the center of the property, ringed by its restaurants and generally busy from morning onward. It's less a quiet retreat than a social hub, with swimmers doing laps early in the day and a livelier crowd settling in as the afternoon wears on. Beach-style service extends to the poolside, with food brought out in small bamboo stands.
Guests staying in the Signature Suites and the connected penthouse-level rooms also get access to a separate, semi-private pool on the sixth floor, set apart from the main deck.
Beach Service
Copacabana Beach runs directly along the front of the hotel, separated only by the road and its mosaicked walkway. The hotel's beach service is seasonal and based on availability, offering sun loungers, umbrellas, and water to guests who head down to the sand.
Beach attendants keep an eye on belongings for anyone who wants to go for a swim, and hand out cold face towels, along with something a little more unusual: a watering can, for cooling off hot feet after a walk on the sand.
Av. Atlântica, 1702 - Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22021-001, Brazil
