Boutique hotel chain Mama Shelter has opened its first branch in the southern hemisphere, with the launch of a new property in Rio de Janeiro.
The hotel opened last week, the latest in a steady expansion programme since Mama Shelter launched its first hotel in Paris eight years ago. The chain’s other hotels are in Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Los Angeles.
In Rio’s bohemian hilltop neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, Mama Shelter has 55 rooms, as well as communal spaces and gardens for guests. It was designed by the architect Jalil Amor, who has mixed playful contemporary furnishings with modern-yet-homely urban interiors.
The Mama Shelter brand was founded in 2008 by Serge Trigano, and his two sons, who launched their budget boutique idea in Paris after years working in Club Med, which the Trigano family co-founded.
Mama Shelter follows a similar model to that of the Ace Hotels chain (which was founded in 1999 but began expanding around the same time Mama Shelter was launched), targeting “creative” travellers by setting up in up-and-coming and arty neighbourhoods and offering design-focused spaces at affordable prices.
- Doubles from £90, mamashelter.com
