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NEWS
Oscar Niemeyer's long lost São Paulo palace reimagined as luxury Oetker Collection hotel
POSTED 13 Mar 2017 . BY Kim Megson
The building was first constructed in the 1940s as Tangará Ranch as a gift for the fiancé of Brazilian businessman Francisco ‘Baby’ Pignatari Credit: Oetker Collection
An abandoned Brazilian palace designed by iconic late architect Oscar Niemeyer is to finally see the light of day, with hotel group Oetker Collection opening the building as their first property in the Americas.

Palácio Tangará will open in São Paulo in June 2017.

The building was first constructed in the 1940s as Tangará Ranch, when wealthy Brazilian businessman Francisco ‘Baby’ Pignatari commissioned it as a gift to his fiance. Niemeyer designed it, along with Pier Luigi Nervi and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx famous for his avant garde Copacabana beach promenade.

However, Baby’s marriage ended, and his original plans for the ranch were never completed. Instead, the property was abandoned for decades and eventually demolished in the 1990s.

Marx’s 26 acre garden was preserved and completed by the architect, and opened to the public as Burle Marx Park.

A previous attempt to open a hotel on the site fell apart over financing issues. Now the Oetker Collection have stepped in to re-create Baby’ original palace, albeit reimagined as a glamorous 141-room hotel.

B+H Architects, Bick Simonato and PAR Arquitetura are overseeing the restoration and renovation, while interior designers William Simonato, Luis Bick and Patricia Anastassiadis have been commissioned to complete the hotel’s “truly bespoke” guest rooms and public spaces. The trio has been inspired by 1940’s Brazilian glamour and elegance, including the rise of Brazilian abstract art and Bossa Nova music.

The rooms, including 59 suites, will look out onto the park – home to lush greenery, clear lagoons, checkerboard-patterned lawns, geometrically tiled walls, and a vast array of tropical Atlantic plants and exotic bird species.

The Palácio Tangará’s facilities will include a signature restaurant, Chef’s Table – run by Jean-Georges Vongerichten – and a bar, wine cellar, lobby and lounge bar, all with outdoor terraces.

There will also be a fitness centre and a Sisley Spa with a private garden and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Nine function rooms will feature, including a ballroom for up to 530 guests.

The Oetker Collection owns eight other design-led “Masterpiece Hotels,” including L’Apogée Courchevel in the French Alps and The Lanesborough in London.
RELATED STORIES
  Oetker Collection unveils exclusive wellness club and Guerlain Spa at new five-star Geneva hotel


After five years’ construction, German hotel management company Oetker Collection has unveiled its first Swiss hotel named The Woodward in the heart of Geneva, complete with views of Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva.
  Designers 1508 London re-imagine iconic hotel's classical aesthetic at upcoming Lanesborough Club & Spa


London’s The Lanesborough hotel, part of the luxury Oetker Collection, is set to open its new 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) exclusive spa and wellness centre – billed as ‘a lifestyle club for the modern Londoner’ – on 13 March, and has partnered with experts across the fitness, beauty, spa and wellness communities to offer a holistic approach to wellbeing.
  Oetker’s London Lanesborough to open 18,000sq ft ‘exclusive’ wellness space


Following the reopening of The Lanesborough in London last year, the Oetker Collection will introduce an 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) spa and wellness centre in early 2017, marking the next stage of the hotel’s evolution.
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Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
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News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
NEWS
Oscar Niemeyer's long lost São Paulo palace reimagined as luxury Oetker Collection hotel
POSTED 13 Mar 2017 . BY Kim Megson
The building was first constructed in the 1940s as Tangará Ranch as a gift for the fiancé of Brazilian businessman Francisco ‘Baby’ Pignatari Credit: Oetker Collection
An abandoned Brazilian palace designed by iconic late architect Oscar Niemeyer is to finally see the light of day, with hotel group Oetker Collection opening the building as their first property in the Americas.

Palácio Tangará will open in São Paulo in June 2017.

The building was first constructed in the 1940s as Tangará Ranch, when wealthy Brazilian businessman Francisco ‘Baby’ Pignatari commissioned it as a gift to his fiance. Niemeyer designed it, along with Pier Luigi Nervi and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx famous for his avant garde Copacabana beach promenade.

However, Baby’s marriage ended, and his original plans for the ranch were never completed. Instead, the property was abandoned for decades and eventually demolished in the 1990s.

Marx’s 26 acre garden was preserved and completed by the architect, and opened to the public as Burle Marx Park.

A previous attempt to open a hotel on the site fell apart over financing issues. Now the Oetker Collection have stepped in to re-create Baby’ original palace, albeit reimagined as a glamorous 141-room hotel.

B+H Architects, Bick Simonato and PAR Arquitetura are overseeing the restoration and renovation, while interior designers William Simonato, Luis Bick and Patricia Anastassiadis have been commissioned to complete the hotel’s “truly bespoke” guest rooms and public spaces. The trio has been inspired by 1940’s Brazilian glamour and elegance, including the rise of Brazilian abstract art and Bossa Nova music.

The rooms, including 59 suites, will look out onto the park – home to lush greenery, clear lagoons, checkerboard-patterned lawns, geometrically tiled walls, and a vast array of tropical Atlantic plants and exotic bird species.

The Palácio Tangará’s facilities will include a signature restaurant, Chef’s Table – run by Jean-Georges Vongerichten – and a bar, wine cellar, lobby and lounge bar, all with outdoor terraces.

There will also be a fitness centre and a Sisley Spa with a private garden and indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Nine function rooms will feature, including a ballroom for up to 530 guests.

The Oetker Collection owns eight other design-led “Masterpiece Hotels,” including L’Apogée Courchevel in the French Alps and The Lanesborough in London.
RELATED STORIES
Oetker Collection unveils exclusive wellness club and Guerlain Spa at new five-star Geneva hotel


After five years’ construction, German hotel management company Oetker Collection has unveiled its first Swiss hotel named The Woodward in the heart of Geneva, complete with views of Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva.
Designers 1508 London re-imagine iconic hotel's classical aesthetic at upcoming Lanesborough Club & Spa


London’s The Lanesborough hotel, part of the luxury Oetker Collection, is set to open its new 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) exclusive spa and wellness centre – billed as ‘a lifestyle club for the modern Londoner’ – on 13 March, and has partnered with experts across the fitness, beauty, spa and wellness communities to offer a holistic approach to wellbeing.
Oetker’s London Lanesborough to open 18,000sq ft ‘exclusive’ wellness space


Following the reopening of The Lanesborough in London last year, the Oetker Collection will introduce an 18,000sq ft (1,672sq m) spa and wellness centre in early 2017, marking the next stage of the hotel’s evolution.
MORE NEWS
Healing sanctuary Tulah Clinical Wellness opens in Kerala
Tulah Clinical Wellness, a holistic wellness destination, has officially opened in the hills of northern Kerala, India.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai creates Global Wellness Day programme rooted in nature
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day (GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Lithuanian care operator Addere Care has launched a new “wellness care hospital” in Vilnius.
Rainer Maelzer joins Therme Group as chief entertainment officer
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The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]

Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. - bespoke means moving beyond the catalogue to delivering contextual design responses
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
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Spa Supply Solutions

Founded in 2014 by spa management expert Julie Bevilacqua, Spa Supply Solutions is a leader in spa p [more...]
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+ More catalogues  

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09-11 Jun 2026

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Savutuvan Apaja, Haapaniemi, Finland
09-12 Jun 2026

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ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS