A credit facility of R$ 1 billion was allocated to Brazilian Hospitality Industry construction and modernization projects.

The main driver of this decision is the need to meet the big increase in demand to be generated by the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, while at the same time encouraging commitment with environmental issues by offering more favorable conditions to hotel development projects concerned with sustainability.

Considered to be of strategic significance by the federal administration, for the construction of railways and highways the infrastructure sector will be entitled to the same advantages offered to the hotel sector. Through the National Economic and Social Development Bank the program of the Ministry of Tourism will meet the needs of approximately 80% Brazilian Hospitality Industry projects.

Highly attractive financing conditions – at interest rates ranging from 6.9% to 8.8% per year- are offered to projects planning for energy efficiency or environmental sustainability, foreseeing, for example, selective garbage collection, acoustic comfort, efficient use of water resources and waste management.

Pledge by Windsor chain increases accommodation supply for the city’s Olympic bid, which exceeds IOC requirements by more than 30%.
 
Rio 2016’s accommodation project has received a further boost from the city’s hotel industry. The Windsor hotel chain has pledged to make 1,830 additional rooms available, in five different projects, for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In its Candidature File, submitted to the IOC in February, Rio’s plans exceeded the required 40,000 rooms, with guarantees for more than 52,800 rooms.

The new addition to the Rio 2016 accommodation plan will come from two new hotels, with 500 and 450 rooms, to be built in Barra da Tijuca, the zone with the largest number of sports venues in the project.

Also, in Copacabana, Windsor has three further projects. In October 2010 the company will finish refurbishing the 540-room Hotel Meridién. The hotel faces the site for the Rio 2016 beach volleyball arena. Also next year, a new 140-room development will be opened. In 2011, Windsor will finish remodeling the Hotel Flórida, which will gain 200 new rooms.

The Rio 2016 bid envisages high-quality accommodation for athletes, officials, journalists and all other participants in the greatest sports event on the planet. Since the Candidature File was submitted, 11 more hotels have signed a Games accommodation contract, guaranteeing a further 4,577 rooms in Rio de Janeiro and the cities that will host football matches (São Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and Brasília). 

“Since the beginning, we have sought customized solutions for all groups. The Rio 2016 project already surpasses all IOC requirements, but the support of the Windsor chain reinforces the commitment of Brazilian business to the project,” said Carlos Arthur Nuzman, Rio 2016 president.