By Jake Marmulstein, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As the World Cup and Olympics get closer, an area surely to expand is the hospitality industry, especially hotels. While accommodation options in Rio cater to a wide variety of tourists, business and economy class guests, many opportunities still exist for niche market segmentation.
One new niche will step up this year, and it will come with style: Jaime Aroxa, famous for his high-end dance academies across Brazil, will be involved in creating the Jaime Aroxa Hotel in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Rio, Laranjeiras.
The hotel will be located on Rua Alice which hosts the famous nightlife club Casa Rosa and has beautiful views of surrounding cityscape. The upper-middle class residential area is close to several well known landmarks; including the Parque Guinle, Palacio Guanabara, Palacio Larangeiras, and the Fluminense Football Club.
With Jaime’s charming support and enthusiasm, the hotel is planning to offer guests a refreshing, and efficient cultural experience. Alessandro Cavalcante, the principal investor, has provided the base property: a 17th century traditional mansion that will be renovated and modified to accommodate more guests while keeping the antique, bohemian design.
Jaime’s vision for the hotel is original and inspiring: “it will be a place to make new friends…to have an experience… to dance, to be active physically, in contact with the senses.”
The hotel will use the most modern technology to cultivate a clean, convenient, and efficient environment. Jaime is quite enthusiastic about offering a video gaming room with 3-D technology charged by usage.
Aroxa believes “the community will grow a greater variety and value of dance entertainment” which could mean more night clubs, restaurants, and bars. Aroxa confidently predicts the area will flourish with the excitement that the Jaime Aroxa dance name brings to its new home.
As the hotel expects to host national and international dance conferences that come to Rio, as well as VIP guests, Laranjeiras should benefit from the new edition. The hotel plans to be four stories high and feature a variety of lodging options for its guests, attracting a diverse crowd.
Now is an exciting time for hotel development in Rio, and the Jaime Aroxa Hotel will be one of many to create a niche in this quickly expanding market. Hopefully, Laranjeiras will soon provide even more visitors an experience off the beaten path, to appreciate all that the Cidade Maravilhosa has to offer.