As the world’s gaze shifts to Rio for the impending football frenzy, Design Hotels is throwing a five week long party from June 9 to July 15. Three locales make up the Project: The Club House and its guest house and beach house satellites.
BERLIN – With a vision to create a global community for design, architecture and culture, Design Hotels is creating spaces, both on and offline, to bring together like-minded globetrotters. What began three years ago as an experiment in pop-up hospitality, has taken us from Tulum to Mykonos, and now onwards to Rio de Janeiro. First on the temporal scene in January 2014 was The Guest House Maria Santa Teresa, and next is the larger, expanded cultural event: Design Hotels Project Rio.
As the world’s gaze shifts to Rio for the impending football frenzy, Design Hotels is throwing a five week long party from June 9 to July 15. Three locales make up the Project: The Club House and its guest house and beach house satellites. Located in Rio’s bohemian neighborhood of Santa Teresa, The Club House is the pop-up heart and soul. With a series of events, parties and curated happenings, Design Hotels’ soulful hub will be connecting the creative class – be it online, in spirit, or in Rio.
Rio in the palm of your hands
Design Hotels Project Rio will be the all-access portal into the city. The Club House will be the official Design Hotels headquarters, providing the Community with a touch down spot in Rio. Bossa nova greats will mash-up with international DJ’s, while the likes of artists, architects and designers mingle and swap ideas. The temporal dining experience concept, Pret A Diner www.pretadiner.com, founded by KP Kofler (the main catering partner during the tournament for the Brazilian soccer stadiums in Rio, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia), will be on site, bringing their own unique brand of savoir-faire and gastronomical expertise to The Club House BBQ’s and dinner series. Keeping partygoers satiated, the on-site bar will be mixing traditional cocktails, regional rums and casual small plates.
As well as championing the best in music, food and the arts, The Club House will also be home to a pop-up boutique. Shop Latitude – an online marketplace for unique travel finds – will be launching their Brazilian curation on site and online shoplatitude.com. The collection will feature handpicked accessories, clothing and jewelery, showcasing the best of Brazilian luxury brands through to artisanal and handmade goods.
The Club House
The neighborhood hub will be home to exclusive partnerships, and host to a series of events, from intimate dinners, BBQ’s, art exhibitions and cultural gatherings. Tucked into a lush hillside plot, The Club House, swimming pool and surrounding gardens, boast expansive views across the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, Guanabara Bay and city below. The sprawling grounds link The Club House and its five rooms to the main pool, a smaller plunge pool and a private studio bungalow.
A set of steps cut into the hillside connects the property with the center of Santa Teresa, a hotspot with art studios, galleries, restaurants and bars. The Club House locale, bursting with bona fide Brazilian vitality, is set to become a neighborhood fixture during the soccer season, drawing-in both the homegrown and visiting.
The Guest House Maria Santa Teresa
Located a short stroll from The Club House, The Guest House Maria Santa Teresa invites guests to stay as the cariocas – or locals – do. The mid-century property – hosting until December 2014 – is made up of six uniquely decorated rooms, mixing Scandinavian design with regional curio. A speakeasy cigar lounge on the lowest floor invites homey habits with fine cigars and rums, or conversely an upper level pool and terrace invite open-air occasions and panoramic viewings.
The Beach House Paraty
A three hour drive from Rio, The Beach House in Paraty, oozes easy luxe. Ideal for a family or a gathering of friends, the jungle oasis offers beach access and respite from the daily hustle and bustle of the city. One main house and a private cabana will be welcoming guests, alongside an outdoor pool set amongst the jungle landscape. The open kitchen and public spaces invite a sense of harmony – whitewashed woods and colorful objets d’art meld with designer Monica Penaguiao’s choice interiors. For those with a sense of adventure, a boat is available for hire on request, allowing for easy day jaunts to the surrounding beaches and coastal region.
The Neighborhood, Santa Teresa
With two of the Project’s installations in Santa Teresa, Design Hotels will be plugged into the surrounding neighborhood. Known as a bohemian mecca within Rio, Santa Teresa is famous for its winding narrow streets, colonial houses, small shops and spectacular views. Enveloped by the larger city, the neighborhood is a refuge from the beautiful chaos of Rio’s Zona Sul, and a short distance from the iconic Maracana stadium and the praias of Copacabana and Ipanema.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
