Kempinski to expand into South America

Kempinski Hotels has announced plans to open its first property in South America.

The hotel group is set to renovate and modernise historic Brazilian property Laje de Pedra Hotel & Resort and reopen it as Kempinski Laje de Pedra Hotel & Residences in 2024.

The original hotel was built by Brazilian architect Edgar Graeff in 1978 and was where the signing of the Mercosur Treaty took place in 1992. The property is situated on a cliff in Canela - a resort town in the Gaúcha mountain range in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state - and offers views over the Vale do Quilombo Eco Reserve.

Kempinski Laje de Pedra Hotel & Residences will house 360 residential suites, some of which will be sold, with owners able to use all of the hotel’s services.

International restaurants and bars will include a steakhouse in modern Gaucho style, an Italian enoteca, a rooftop lounge and a bar with an open fireplace.

The property will also offer a large fitness centre, a spa, a kids’ club, a theatre and a heated rooftop pool.

Out of resort, Canela offers exclusive wineries, gaucho canyons and the Rio Grande Highlands, filled with uninhabited pampa fields and waterfalls.

Kempinski Laje de Pedra will be best reached via Porto Alegre International Airport Salgado Filho, approximately 60 miles away.

"After being the absolute place to be in the first decades after its opening, the Laje de Pedra has fallen into a slumber, so to speak, in recent times," said Bernold Schroeder, chief executive ad interim and chairman of the management board of Kempinski Hotels.

"The aim is to bring this historic and architectural icon back to life with our commitment to first-class quality combined with timeless European elegance and to position it as a top destination at the highest level. It is an excellent opportunity for us to tackle the South American market with such an exceptional project."

Laje de Pedra developers José Paim de Andrade Jr. and José Ernesto Marino Neto added: “We are very proud to bring the very first Kempinski Hotel in the southern hemisphere of the American continent to Hotel Laje de Pedra in Canela.

“This move will definitely position Canela and the region within the luxury destination circuit in South America.”

Kempinski Hotels now comprises a portfolio of 79 hotels and residences in 34 countries and continues to add new properties in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas.