Urban Voice: Bob Nadkarni and “The Maze,” a unique hotel in the slums

Americas Now

In Brazil, poor communities or slums are called favelas, and in Rio de Janeiro, over 20 percent of the population lives in one.

Favelas can be hotbeds of criminal activity, but as they are often built into Rio’s hillsides, they boast beautiful views. In fact, an Englishman found the setting of one favela in Rio so appealing, he decided to settle in and try to transform it.

What he wound up creating was Rio’s first favela hotel, an inn enjoyed so much by guests, that they often check in and never want to leave.

Meet Urban Voice Bob Nadkarni, owner of “The Maze.”