Belém, Brazil

Friday, September 5, 2025

In Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, a modest establishment has renamed itself “Hotel COP30” for the eponymous event to be held in November, but the prices charged are putting off potential customers.

In one of the colorful and dilapidated alleys of the historic center of the capital of the state of Pará (north), the “Hotel COP30” can accommodate 40 people.

Previously, it was a “motel,” an establishment with rooms rented by the hour and usually reserved for romantic encounters.

But the new owners have renovated it and renamed it for the conference.

“Belém has never hosted such an event and prices have spiraled out of control,” admits manager Alcides Moura.

He himself began offering rooms at $1,200 a night… before changing his mind and setting prices between $200 and $350.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is keen to ensure that the annual UN climate conference, scheduled for November 10-21, takes place in the region that is home to the largest rainforest on the planet.

But accommodation is limited, and prices have reached stratospheric levels. Some 50,000 people from around the world are expected to attend.

In July, several countries even called for a change of venue, to no avail.

So far, only 68 of the 198 participating countries have paid for their reservations. “This has never happened at other COPs. Normally, everyone has their accommodation sorted three months in advance,” Marcio Astrini, from the Brazilian NGO network Climate Observatory, told AFP.

– “Fighting abuse” –

Of all Brazil’s regional capitals, Belém has the highest proportion of its population living in favelas: 57% of its 1.4 million inhabitants.

But for homeowners, COP30 is a godsend. Ronaldo França, a 65-year-old retiree, will rent out the house where he usually spends his weekends in the suburbs of Belém for the first time.

The price: $370 per night for a three-bedroom house with a swimming pool. “I’m not going to charge an exorbitant rent,” he says.

In August, local authorities set up a working group to assist foreign delegations.

“The supply of beds is guaranteed,” says Para Governor Helder Barbalho, acknowledging the need to “combat abuse.”

“Those who wanted luxury were able to go to the COP in Dubai (in 2023, editor’s note), those who want to experience the Amazon will discover Belém,” he sums up.

With limited infrastructure, the city has received more than $700 million in public investment for the COP. The City Park, a huge convention center built on wooded land, will host the negotiations.

– Cruise ships –

According to authorities, 60% of delegates will be staying with local residents.

Hotels “are almost full,” explains Toni Santiago, president of the Para Hotel Association, who rejected the government’s request to cap prices.

“No one does that at other major events around the world, so why in Belém?” he argues.

To increase supply, two cruise ships will provide 6,000 additional beds, but the port is located 20 km from the convention center.

Even though Airbnb has announced that average prices have fallen by 22% since February, it is difficult to find accommodation for less than $100 a night, the price requested by the UN for delegations from the poorest countries.

This COP could be “the most exclusive in history,” warns the Climate Observatory. For Marcio Astrini, accommodation issues have overshadowed “what is really important, such as emission reduction targets and climate finance.”

Small island states regret the “prohibitive costs” associated with the upcoming COP30 in Belem and fear they will have to reduce the size of their delegations due to unaffordable accommodation.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has indicated that he will not attend COP30 in Brazil in November, largely due to the exorbitant cost of hotels.

Humaniterre with AFP