Brazil’s hotel industry booming, just in time for the World Cup and Olympic Games

Those wanting to visit Brazil for either the FIFA World Cup in 2014 or the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 will have increasing options for accommodation as the country's hotel industry is currently enjoying the highest level of growth in the region.

Tourist numbers to Brazil are set to swell as the country hosts two major international sports events in the coming years, the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016, and Brazil's hotel industry is getting ready to accommodate them.

The specialized magazine Lodging published this week the hotel industry forecast in Latin America. According to the publication, there are currently 46 hotels and 8,182 rooms scheduled to open in Brazil during 2013. The number of new hotel openings however will increase further in 2014 to 87 new hotels, adding 13,625 additional rooms just in time for the arrival of masses of football fans.

Lodging.com forecasts a total of 120 new hotels and 18,183 rooms to open throughout Latin America in 2013. The forecast is even higher for 2014 with 170 hotels and 25,089 rooms.

Brazil's capacity to accommodate the flock of tourists expected for these two major events has been previously criticized. When Brazil submitted its campaign to host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in September 2007, a shortage in the number of required hotel rooms was highlighted as one of the city's main shortcomings.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set a goal of 15,000 new hotel rooms in the city. According to a study by the City Department of Urbanism in Rio, 18,126 hotel rooms are either under construction, or have had their licenses approved.

These include hotels from major chains such as the Hilton and Hyatt, as well as local brands such as Brazil's Windsor, currently constructing two towers with almost 1,000 rooms.