A Turin student residence will mark the debut of the historic German real estate company Patrizia Ag in the Italian student housing market, with an investment of some €70 million.

The student residence will open in September 2023 in via Frejus, in the western part of the city. About one kilometre from the Turin Polytechnic and 3.5 kilometres from the university, it is also close to the metro line.

Mini apartments with private bathrooms

The complex, which is approximately 13,000 square metres of residential space spread over five floors, will have 582 mini apartments with private bathrooms. Added to this will be a series of services, from a gym, study spaces, a sky lounge and a laundry, to a large outdoor green area with 142 parking spaces. The residence will be equipped with a series of systems to boost energy efficiency, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and promote sustainability.

€1.1 billion in managed assets in Italy

Patrizia Ag boasts a portfolio of managed assets in Italy worth €1.1 billion. In recent months, the company has boosted its investments in the student residence segment, with developments in Barcelona, ​​Dublin, Hamburg and Copenhagen.

Voihotels partnership with Tropeas’s Red Onion Consortium, brings the town’s famous vegetable into the spotlight.

Ambassadors of the Tropea red onion

The F&B outlets in the Alpitour Group's hotel company thus become ambassadors of a food product of excellence that is increasingly an icon of the Mediterranean diet, as well as being an essential ingredient in both simple and elaborate recipes. On the occasion of a tasting event at the Tropea Beach Resort some weeks ago the agreement was reached between Voihotels and the Red Onion Consortium of Tropea Calabria igp.

“We have three hotels in the area”

"The partnership with the consortium, - explained Angelo La Riccia, Voihotels sales director, - fits perfectly into what we pursue in all our destinations. The red onion from Tropea igp is the excellence of an area in which three of our hotels are located, and therefore a natural partner for us. Guests choose our properties not just for great beach holidays, but also for the strong nature-oriented and cultural ties we have with the region. From the culinary point of view we play an active part in the Voihotels’ sustainability programme."

The number of restaurants managed directly by the Una Group in its hotels is growing, with 36 restaurants that are also open to non-residential guests.  

New restaurants in Bologna and Milan

The latest Una Cucina additions are in Bologna: the Portico by Una Cucina in the Unahotels Bologna Centro, the Bolognese by Una Cucina in the Unahotels Bologna Fiera, and the Fuori Porta by Una Cucina in the Unahotels San Vitale Bologna. These join two other recent additions in the Milan area: the Hall by Una Cucina in the Unahotels Century Milano and the Corte Bistrot by Una Cucina in the Unahotels The One Milano.

“We are Italy’s largest hotel chain”

"The addition of five new restaurants to our Una Cucina collection is an important milestone. In 2021 we began to carve an increasingly important space in the restaurant business, - says Fabrizio Gaggio, general manager of the Una group.  - We are very proud to be among the leading restaurant chains in Italy and the largest Italian hotel chain (by number of hotels, Ed.). The Una Cucina restaurant concept is based on regional inspiration, qualityand authentic food and wine experiences.” 

The new Ac Hotel Milano Sesto, which recently opened its doors in Milano Sesto close to the Lombardy capital, has 155 rooms. The interiors of the hotel have contemporary furnishings, with elegant neutral colours and natural materials such as wood and stone, for a relaxing and modern ambience.

Milan’s cultural spots are easy to reach

The hotel is close to the Sesto Marelli metro station which makes for easy access to places of cultural interest such as the fashion district, the La Scala Opera House, Milan’s majestic cathedral, Leonardo's Last Supper and the Brera Academy. 

A lobby bar and restaurant

The lobby bar serves a curated selection of small dishes and craft cocktails, including the hotel's signature Ac Gin and Tonic. The elegant and modern Ac Lounge has a menu of international cuisine with a Mediterranean flair.

Valentina De Santis took the Hotelier of the Year award at the 12th edition of the Virtuoso Network event in Las Vegas.

Valentina and her family have been a part of Lake Como's history for over 50 years as owners of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, to which Passalacqua, their most recent project, was added last June.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo - Lake Como

For the 5th time the award goes to an Italian hotelier

This year, as in previous years over 4,000 travel advisors and partners gathered at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, and at the end of the event, the personalities who best represent the sunconditional passion of hoteliers were honoured. This is the 5th time that an Italian hotelier has been awarded but only the second time that it went to the owner of an independent hotel. 

Honouring leaders in hospitality

Valentina De Santis, who has been involved in the family business for over ten years, was already named Italian Hotelier of the Year last year. The award was established for the first time in 2021 as a tribute to Patrizio Cipollini, historical general manager of the Four Seasons of Florence, a recognized master of style and elegance in hospitality, who was also named Virtuoso Hotelier of the Year in 2018. 

“My teams are the true winners” 

“This prestigious award… is a significant honour that belongs first and foremost to my parents, who created something magical and taught me to cherish and respect it,” said Valentina De Santis. “Ans then it belongs to my large extended family, as well as to my incredible teams at the Grand Hotels Tremezzo, Passalacqua, and Sheraton Lake Como. They are the true winners, the legends.”

Ten hotels and four restaurants are the latest Italian additions to the Les Collectionneurs brand, which now counts 540 hotels and food and wine outlets in 14 different countries. 

Many new unique experiences in Italy

"Our aim is to keep on expanding,” says Carole Pourchet, general manager of Les Collectionneurs. Thanks to our R&D in Italy, we have strengthened our portfolio of unique experiences in regions such as the Valle d'Aosta, Umbria, Sicily and Calabria, where until recently we were not very present.”

From Lake Como to Capri

New entries include the Grand Hotel et de Milan and the Angiolieri in Seiano di Vico Equense, not far from Sorrento, as well as the Trattoria Contemporanea in Lomazzo on Lake Como, and the restaurant Materiaprima in Pontinia in the province of Latina. Other new entries are the Da Tonino restaurant and Casa Mariantonia on the island of Capri, the Relais Il Nazionale in Vernate and, in the Val d'Aosta, the Café Quinson and the Crest Alpine Lodge & Spa. 

New additions in Calabria

In Umbria the Locanda del Capitano and the Borgo Santa Cecilia estate in Gubbio have also been affiliated. Finally, there are new additions in Calabria, with the Praia Art Resort and the Luigi Lepore Restaurant, as well as in Sicily with the Barone di Villagrande.

A magical year, even better than 2019. And not dampened even by the high fuel prices. The only doubt that remains is the so-called rebound effect: how much of the volumes recorded this year can be replicated in 2023? 

Idee per Viaggiare is getting read to close its 2021-2022 financial year at +50% compared to the 2019 pre-Covid year. “Suffice it to say that before the pandemic, -  says CEO Danilo Curzi,  - we were getting a maximum of 400 requests per day. Well, this summer that figure practically doubled.”

“This summer everything went swimmingly”

But all that glitters is not necessarily gold and it is important to keep one's feet firmly on the ground: “I almost find it difficult to talk about this year,- Curzi continues,  - because everything went swimmingly. Of course the high demand was also due to the travel slowdown of the last two years and will, quite honestly, be difficult to replicate in 2023.” But which destinations have driven the performance of the Roman operator to these levels? "The United States played a massive role, as did the Emirates," says Curzi. - Thailand and Indonesia also did record numbers. Then South America also performed very well, in particular Peru and Mexico which recorded an unexpectedly high number of departures.”

“South America was in demand but Japan is still not fully opened”

South America has always been the specialization of the Marcelletti brand which IpV acquired at the end of 2021: "With this operation - confirms the CEO - we have opened up areas that were not previously in our catalogues. This growth in programming has also had a positive impact on the staff, with as many as 12 new team members joining us in recent months.” The tour operator’s exclusive tours for small groups and designed to offer ad hoc experiences, have also recorded excellent growth. Japan, on the other hand, is still missing. With only a partial reopening to tourism the results have been very limited.  “This summer’s positive trend, -  Curzi emphasizes, - is the result of the planning and training we did during the Covid lockdown months as well as to the digitalization of many business processes. One example is our new CRM, which is now 100% operational.

“For the New Year we have blocked fares, also with ITA”

“In this extremely positive context, even the cost increases did not particularly affect the results. And to avoid any possible future price increases, for the New Year we have already planned guaranteed departures with blocked packages including flights. With Ita for example we have signed an agreement for direct economy and business-class flights to Male from mid-December to the end of March. These leave no room for increases.”

The new Valtur Cervinia Cristallo Ski Resort, the first Italian Lifestyle Collection, is the result of a total renovation of the Grand Hotel Cristallo.

It will open on 1 December and Valtur, which takes over the management, was directly involved in the operation that launches its new Italian Lifestyle Collection line. The concept can already be considered a success, as 50% of the Valtur Cervinia Cristallo has already been reserved, with requests coming from 18 different nationalities just a few weeks after it opened for booking.

The Cervinia Cristallo consists of three units

The resort consists of three different independent and at the same time interconnected units: the central 5-star Cristallo and two 4-star annexes next to it, called the Cristallino 1 and 2. It is located at 2,000 metres asl, some 800 metres from the centre of Cervinia and from the international Matterhorn Ski Paradise area, which has about 350 kilometres of slopes. 

 

A total of 234 rooms, and a range of suites 

There are 234 rooms spread across the three buildings. The central unit has 96, divided into Romantic, Superior, Deluxe and Junior Suite (including, with a supplement, the Fit Rooms, equipped with Technogym machines and programmes, and the Wellness Rooms which have saunas), and suites. The remaining 138 are in the Crystalline 1 and 2, with various options suitable for families: Classic, Dreamy, Comfort, Family (some with gaming themes), Grand Family, Cristallino Junior suite (with a Fit Room option), Cristallino Suite, Cervino Suite, and Cervino Master Suite. The sizes range from 22 square metres for the smallest Classic to 130 square metres for the Cervino Master Suite, which, like the Cervino Suite (75 square metres), has mountain views as well as special exclusive Technogym spa and fitness services.

“Our first time in the heart of the Alps” 

“We are proud to be the protagonists of a new era for the future of a glorious brand like Valtur, which takes us for the first time into the heart of the Alps, - says Giuseppe Pagliara, CEO of the Nicolaus Group. - We are especially proud to have collaborated with the owners on the style, aesthetics, materials, logistics, and the environmental decisions concerning the makeover."

A ski school and equipment rentals

On 2 December guests will be able to enjoy two restaurants, a private dining room, a bistro, two bars, and a lobby area, as well as the two highest padel courts in Europe and a multipurpose ice-skating rink, hockey and curling, a gym, and two swimming pools. There are also three DJ set stations, a theatre, the Miele Apa, a Rossignol ski room renting ski equipment, a luxury vintage corner, a multi-brand boutique, and an avant-garde miniclub, while the Giorgio Rocca Ski School Cervinia is also there for guests. The Valtur Executive Lounge, a reserved check-in area and VIP ski-room, concierge and lifestyle assistant services as well as mattress and pillow menus will be available for 5-star guests.