Hilton Worldwide has signed a management agreement with Carvalho Hosken Hotelaria for its first hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Hilton Barra.

Under construction and expected to open in June 2014, the hotel is in the fast growing Metropolitan Center and will be walking distance from the 2016 Olympic Park. The 298-bed hotel will have 14,000sq ft of meeting space and a business centre.

"Hilton Hotels & Resorts is experiencing a period of tremendous global growth and this project brings our name to one of the most important cities in Latin America," says Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. "As one of the most visited cities in South America and the upcoming 2016 Summer Games, Rio is a major market for international travel and key to our presence in South America."

Hilton Worldwide is pursuing other Latin American opportunities, with a pipeline of sites in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.