The 196-room five star property is a first for the international hotel group. The lodge will be about 180kms from Manaus, reachable by boat, and is set for completion in late 2005.
The hotel is being built in an area where environmental laws are strictly enforced. Hilton expects to attract eco-tourists interested in activities like bird watching, alligator spotting, jungle hiking and piranha fishing. One bonus for visitors is that the area is reportedly mosquito-free thanks to the acidity of the waters of the Rio Negro.
The lodge is being developed by a Brazilian company that specializes in eco-resorts. The hotel group will require more than 300 staff when the hotel is operating, as well as hiring locals to act as tour guides.
Hilton is also working on a project to construct two further resorts in Natal, which is on the north east coast of Brazil. It currently has three hotels in Brazil.
Hilton president in the Americas, Howard Friedman said: “It will give visitors a unique opportunity to experience a location of great ecological importance in an area of outstanding beauty. Hilton will operate the lodge with full regard to the needs of the environment with the aim of making it the best ecotourism development in the world.”
