Rio de Janeiro has always had its icons, but over the next 90 days, the landscape of luxury accommodation in the city is set to elevate.
Two major hotel projects are approaching completion by November 1: the return of Sofitel to Ipanema and a significant new chapter for Copacabana Palace, a Belmond Hotel. Both arrive as Rio heads into Brazil’s festive season, giving travelers more choice at the top end of the city’s hotel scene just when demand begins to build.
This isn’t something we’ve been watching from afar: our Managing Director, Mikael Castro, has been on the ground in Rio throughout the renovations, hard hat on, visiting the properties and following their progress firsthand.
At Sofitel Rio de Janeiro Ipanema, the sheer scale of the project is striking. Around 600 people are currently working around the clock to bring the hotel together. The construction team is expected to hand the keys over to the General Manager in September, giving the hotel team the final weeks to move in, train, test and prepare ahead of its planned opening later this year.
Once open, Sofitel will bring around 170 rooms and suites to one of the best positions on Ipanema Beach, alongside a rooftop infinity pool, spa, Beach Club and Club Millésime. It will also become the new home of Lasai, chef Rafa Costa e Silva’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant.
Then, a few kilometers along the beachfront, there is the transformation of Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel.
This is much more than a refurbishment of a handful of rooms. The separate building alongside the historic Main Building, previously known as the Annex, is being completely redeveloped as the Pool Wing, an all-suite building with 68 suites, each with its own private balcony. Most will look across both the hotel’s famous pool and Copacabana Beach.
The difference in space is substantial, with Pool Wing suites extending from roughly 63–72m² at entry level to around 227m² for the largest configurations, making even the smaller suites considerably more spacious than the Main Building’s regular rooms.
When the Pool Wing returns, Copacabana Palace will have 208 accommodations in total: 140 in the Main Building and 68 in the new wing. Five floors will be dedicated to wellness, bringing new spa and fitness facilities, Pilates and movement spaces, ice baths, infrared sauna and steam rooms. The famous swimming pool and pool deck are also being redesigned, alongside a new Bar do Copa, a reimagined Italian restaurant and a Brazilian craft boutique.
After around 19 months of work, the Pool Wing is scheduled to reopen in late 2026, with exact timing still being confirmed. We are following the project closely on the ground and will be among the first to know as those opening dates are finalized.
Within a matter of months, Rio will gain a completely reimagined luxury hotel in Ipanema and a substantial new all-suite offering at one of South America’s most recognizable hotels.
And our scouting work doesn’t finish when the construction does! As the new rooms and suites become available, our team will visit and stay, so we can know which views are worth choosing, how the different room categories compare, where families should stay and which hotel is right for whom. Our recommendations come from our own experience.
Planning Rio for Festive, New Year, Carnival or beyond? Speak to our team for the latest opening updates and first-hand recommendations on where to stay, which rooms to book and how to make the most of Rio’s changing luxury hotel scene.
