Brazilian Court Hotel Revenue and Competitors

The Brazilian Court was born at the peak of the Florida land boom in 1925, and opened for business New Year's Day 1926. Architect Rosario Candela brought his experience of building luxury apartments in New York to design a Spanish-concept complex of 116 apartments, with hotel facilities, to be called the Brazilian Court. Each unit of the two-story stuccoed building, which encompassed an inner courtyard, could be linked with its neighbor to form suites. It was elegant, secluded, informal and low-key. The now established Brazilian Court began its long career as host to members of the Palm Beach Old Guard, including the "Queen of Society," Mrs. Merriweather Post; (Post-Toasties heiress); Charles Munn, (Totalator patent holder); and Ambassador Stanton Griffis, (Brentanos boss). All the services one would expect at a first-class hotel were available, but without the pomp. For many guests, the "B.C.", as it became known, was a home - albeit luxurious - away from home. There was no formidable grand lobby to brave, but three discreet accesses to enter the complex. Staff and employees were like faithful household retainers, clocking up decades of service. One could dine al fresco under colorful umbrellas at tables around the central fountain, in a verdant courtyard of tropical foliage, in one's room, or the dining loggia added in 1945. The proximity of the hotel to one of the world's wealthiest rows of shops (Worth Avenue, steps away) and docks, where magnificent yachts tied up during the season, was a big plus in popularizing the hotel for many years. Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Richard Nixon and James Bond - the original ornithologist after whom Ian Fleming named 007 - stayed there. It became a friendly retreat from the social whirl, and an overflow annex for Palm Beachers with more friends and family than bedrooms. Present owners have orchestrated orchestrated a multi-million dollar renovation to modernize the hotel while preserving the charm and integrity of the original structure. The Brazilian Court is also a protected landmark and a member of the prestigious Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide®. In an age when mega-room hotel complexes with a cast of thousands are appearing at every interstate intersection, the quaint, modernized, Brazilian Court delivers that rare commodity: personal service to the individual in a charming setting.