Othon Palace Hotel, Hotel in Brasilien
The Othon Palace Hotel was a 25-story building in downtown São Paulo located on Rua Líbero Badaró, covering around 14,000 square meters. It contained 260 rooms, an upscale restaurant called Chalet Suisse on the top floor, and a basement nightclub for entertainment and dining.
The hotel opened in 1954 and quickly became a prestigious destination for international guests, including Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1968. After more than 50 years of operation, it closed in 2008 and was later transformed by the city of São Paulo into offices for public employees.
The hotel was named after the Othon family, prominent in Brazilian hospitality. It served as a social hub for São Paulo's elite, hosting celebrations and gatherings in its basement nightclub and upscale dining venues.
The building is located near Praça do Patriarca and the Matarazzo Building, the city hall, in São Paulo's historic downtown. The ground floor currently houses a bank branch, while upper floors are now used partly for city administrative offices.
The Chalet Suisse on the top floor was famous for serving fondue, a rare delicacy in 1950s Brazil that gave the restaurant an exclusive reputation among the city's elite. This Swiss specialty became a signature offering that attracted high-profile visitors.
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