Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro

The Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, is defined by its pristine, white Art Deco facade that stretches along the Avenida Atlântica. Built between nineteen nineteen and nineteen twenty-three, it was the first grand structure on what was then a quiet stretch of beach. President Epitácio Pessoa commissioned the hotel to host dignitaries for the centennial celebration of Brazilian independence, enlisting the hotelier Octávio Guinle to manage the project. French architect Joseph Gire designed the building, taking inspiration from the luxury hotels he knew on the French Riviera.