Hyatt Hotels Corporation has debuted the Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro. The opening marks the second Grand Hyatt property in Brazil, alongside the Grand Hyatt São Paulo.
The 436-room hotel was designed by New York- and Toronto-based Yabu Pushelberg in collaboration with Brazilian design firm Anastassiadis Arquitetos. Guests can enjoy views of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding Marapendi Lagoon from the large balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows found in each guestroom, which feature fabrics and stones unique to the country. Included are two 1,561-square-foot presidential suites and a 2,100-square-foot penthouse suite with a lounge area and pool. The hotel also houses 21,530 square feet of event space, complete with lagoon views. Two multipurpose ballrooms, two loft kitchens, and nine meeting rooms are also available.
In addition to the beachfront locale, guests are greeted by a large vertical garden, one of 17 on the property, and works by local artists. Famed Brazilian landscape architect Burle Marx serves as the inspiration for the gardens as well as the mosaic floors in the spacious lobby, which call to mind Marx’s sideways designs.
Brazilian architect Arthur Casas lent his design eye to the hotel’s three signature restaurants. Wooden beams and Italian flooring blend with a wraparound Carrara marble bar framing the open kitchen in trattoria Tano Cucina Italiana, while natural materials are used for the space at Cantô Gastrô & Lounge, complete with terraces that open to the pool and garden area.
