InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is to return to Italy with a new Rome property after a 7-year absence.

5-star rooms in Rome to double in five years 

An historic neo-Renaissance building on Via Veneto, built in the early 1900s to house ambassadors visiting Rome, has been chosen by InterContinental Hotels & Resorts for its grand return to Italy after a seven-year absence.

“In the 5-star luxury sector the number of rooms will increase by 30% by 2025 and double over the next five years, generating new employment opportunities and boosting the city's economy. They will cover a shortage of high-end hotels and give an upward boost to the quality of services and to the image of Rome at an international level,” said Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s councillor for major events, sport, tourism and fashion.

“A boost for Via Veneto, one of Rome’s most iconic streets”

President of Federalberghi Rome Giuseppe Roscioli said: “The reopening of the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace is a fundamental element for the definitive relaunch of Via Veneto which is one of Rome’s most iconic streets.”

The rooms have been enlarged to about 35sqm

The renovations, costing some €45 million, have increased the average surface area of the 160 rooms and suites to about 35sqm, and the Scarpetta NYC Restaurant also opened. Charlie's, on the top floor of the hotel, features cocktails and mixology, live music and an unprecedented view of Rome, and the Cameo events room can accommodate up to one hundred people. “Bringing this brand to the capital strengthens our presence in the luxury and lifestyle segment in Italy," said managing director Southern Europe, Eric Viale.

As summer gets into full swing at VRetreats’ Cala Cuncheddi, five new VRetreats have been announced.  

85 rooms set in a park and three restaurants 

After the Roma hotel in Ortigia, now is the turn of the Sardinian Cala Cuncheddi located in Capo Ceraso, a few steps from the sea and only 12 kilometres from Olbia airport. The hotel has 85 rooms, including six brand new suites, and is set in a park of centuries-old olive and myrtle trees. There is also a private beach, an infinity pool, a pool bar and a beauty spa by the sea, which complements the indoor wellness wet area with a whirlpool bath, Finnish sauna, Turkish bath and relaxation spaces. Completing the offer is a gym, three restaurants specialized in Sardinian cuisine and wine cellar with local, Italian and international wines, which can also be used for gourmet dinners with a dedicated maître sommelier.

Excursions with a marine biologist and canyon trekking

“Olbia’s southern seaboard, from San Teodoro to the Ogliastra area, has coves with sheer cliffs overlooking the sea. The waters are among the most beautiful in Sardinia,- says Massimiliano Atlantei, hotel manager of Cala Cuncheddi. - Our guests can enjoy unique experiences, such excursions with a skipper and marine biologist to the Tavolara protected area, or by sailing boat or yacht, departing from Cannigione, Portisco or Palau, for tailor-made itineraries to the Maddalena archipelago and beyond. For those who prefer a more active experience, we also organize visits with specialised guides to some of the most evocative places in Barbagia and Ogliastra, such as the Gorroppu Gorge: one of the most famous and highest canyons in Europe.” 

Medieval Tuscany, hot springs, Brunello vineyards and 5-star luxury in Rosewood’s Castiglion del Bosco with Maremma Safari Club’s new walking tour.

Photo by Maremma Safari Club

Group walking safaris and private customizable trips

Selected for Conde Nast’s prestigious Top Travel Specialist List for Italy for the sixth time this year, Rudston Steward, founder of Maremma Safari Club, is adding an exciting new trip to round his annual walking safaris. On his spring and autumn walking tours, from the northern Dolomites to Sicily and Sardinia, Rudston takes small groups (and private customizable trips for friends, families, couples or individuals) into some of the most unexplored corners of Italy, literally going offbeat, on foot. 

Photographer Davide Lovatti

“We can go for days without meeting another walker”

Before settling down to live in the Maremma Rudston guided walking trips everywhere from Bhutan to Botswana to Bandhavgarh to the Basque Country. He meticulously plans, tests and guides all Maremma Safari Club’s trips personally, and says the people who join his groups are attracted by being in contact with nature, and getting away from run-of-the-mill holidays. “My routes are truly off the beaten track and we can go for days without meeting another walker.”

Photo by Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco

Luxurious suites in Rosewood’s Castiglion del Bosco 

The Tuscany Castiglion del Bosco Safari, from 10 to 13 November, starts in the medieval hilltop town of Montalcino and continues, after a light lunch, to the stunning 12th Century Abbey of Sant’ Antimo. The next day the group picks up the trail, moving on to the town of Bagno Vignoni, famous for its bubbling hot therapeutic waters, stopping for a packed lunch along the way, and then walking through the via scenic Brunello vineyards, olive groves and oak forests. It continues to the impressive medieval castle of Ripa d’Orcia before returning to the Rosewood property, an 800-year-old estate which is one of Tuscany’s largest, for the third and final night in a luxurious suite in what Travel + Leisure voted the world's best hotel in 2022.  

Photo by Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco

An October walking safari exploring eastern Sardinia

Rudston’s second autumn walk from 10 to 15 October is the Supramonte Safari in eastern Sardinia with its epic landscapes and ancient Nuraghic civilizations, starting from the Lanaitto Valley, via the Gorropu Gorge, and ending on Cala Luna beach in the spectacular Gulf of Orosei. “And we still have slots available in both October and November—amongst the very best months for walking in Italy - for customized private trips.”  

For information: www.maremmasafari.com

The Unahotels Imperial Sport Pesaro is the latest new entry in the Una franchising group. 

Activities for families and a sea-view restaurant

The recently renovated 4-star hotel in the Marche region has 47 rooms, including some family connecting rooms. It also has a sea-view restaurant, bar, fitness area and a swimming pool. Guests can book excursions and activities, including a range of pursuits for children and parents, including table tennis, table football and a mini-pool in the sun terrace.

“We  believe in our franchising project”

"We are delighted to welcome the Unahotels Imperial Sport Hotel Pesaro,- says Fabrizio Gaggio, general manager of the Una Group. -This new entry in the Marche is a further guarantee of the commitment of the franchising project in which we believe. It allows us to offer an increasingly diversified choice of stay that meets the needs of both Italian and international guests."

According to recent reports in the Italian daily La Repubblica, the Rocco Forte group is in advanced negotiations with the owner of the Relais del Cardinale in Fasano. 

Will Rocco Forte manage or take over the property? 

The aim being to add a second five-star masseria to its portfolio after Torre Maizza. The property which has been closed for more than five years, is now owned by Czech tycoon Radovan Vitek, who acquired it at auction in 2019 for €10.3 million. Among the new owner's plans was to expand it by acquiring two neighbouring buildings. But Covid slowed things down and Vitek now seems intent on seeking the relaunch of the relais by entrusting its management to Rocco Forte. For now it is not known if the British hotel group intends to acquire only the management of the complex, or the entire property.

The relais has 35 rooms, 30 suites and a heliport

The relais, created by converting an 18th-century farmhouse, now includes 65 rooms, including 30 suites, as well as a restaurant, a swimming pool, wellness areas with sauna and whirlpool, meeting rooms, a heliport, and an area to be used as a riding school. In 2021, the Fasano property hosted Michele Placido's wedding, while Raul Bova chose it as the location for a recent comedy film.

The Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, which has spectacular views of Mount Etna, is celebrating its 150th birthday.

An art installation and a pop-up wellness experience

To mark this occasion, the hotel has curated a number of cultural events. Chef Roberto Toro will bring his culinary art outdoors, a limited-edition bottle of Etna wine will be launched and a new contemporary art installation will grace the hotel gardens as part of the MITICO art project. Among other initiatives, a pop-up wellness experience is also expected to be unveiled.

Culinary events and 150 limited edition bottles of wine 

Michelin-starred chef Roberto Toro, of the celebrated Otto Geleng restaurant, will curate a series of seasonal gastronomic events inspired by the hotel's legendary 19th-century French menu. The culinary series will take place in exclusive locations across the island, including the Pietradolce Winery, on the north slope of Etna. To celebrate the anniversary Grand Hotel Timeo collaborated with the Faro family to produce 150 limited-edition bottles of wine.

“The Timeo is an icon of Sicilian identity” 

Massimiliano Puglisi, General Manager of Grand Hotel Timeo, commented: "We are proud to celebrate the Timeo, an icon of Sicilian identity. It is thanks to our staff’s passion that we are considered a cultural symbol and an example of Sicilian hospitality. Strengthened by our 150-year history, we look to the future with confidence.” 

Club del Sole will get the first prototype of the Re-Tree-T tree house, to be developed by a team specializing in designing micro-architectures for experiential tourism.

A house in the trees with a terrace and an awning

The property will be located within the Spina Family Camping Village, nestled in the picturesque Po delta area near Lido di Spina,  in the province of Ferrara, known for its rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. The project's focus is on preserving the natural surroundings and ecosystem, and the properties will be seamlessly integrated with existing trees without causing any damage. Both the terrace and the awning of the Re-Tree-T tree house will be supported, not fixed to the ground, ensuring a minimal footprint on the landscape.

The suspended tent has a double bed, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet

The terrace and awning will be placed at different heights, providing visitors with the opportunity to ascend to the treetops using stairs or ramps and even touch the branches. The terrace, made of recycled steel and wood, will house a suspended tent, offering a more adventurous experience for guests who wish to spend the night or a few hours under the open sky. Alternatively, those seeking a more comfortable stay can opt for the tent, equipped with a cozy double bed, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet. Outside, a small deck will provide a relaxing lounge area for guests to enjoy the tranquil surroundings.  

The Park Hotel Suisse Santa Margherita Ligure is the latest new entry of the B&B Hotels group.

The hotel has 77 rooms and a seawater swimming pool

The Park Hotel Suisse Santa Margherita Ligure brings to 64 the number of Italian B&B Hotels properties, of which five in Liguria after Genoa, Savona, Diano Marina. The property has 77 rooms, a seawater swimming pool in the shape of an atoll, a solarium, a bistro bar and several terraces.

"We are very proud to open our fifth hotel in Liguria”

"We are very proud to open our fifth hotel in Liguria, confirming our increasingly widespread presence in Italy, also in leisure destinations,-  says Liliana Comitini, President and CEO of B&B Hotels Italy, Hungary and Slovenia. - Thanks to its incredible location the Park Hotel Suisse Santa Margherita Ligure is the perfect choice for exploring the wonders of the Ligurian Riviera and such unique destinations such as the Cinque Terre, Portovenere, Rapallo, Portofino and San Fruttuoso."

The Hospitality Experience, launched by the Babini family, is Italy’s new hospitality brand.

“We wanted to enhance the uniqueness of our properties”

The Hospitality Experience group currently includes the London Palace Venice, The Place Florence and the Umbrian Borgo dei Conti Resort.  

“We wanted to enhance the uniqueness of our properties, – says CEO and owner Carlo Babini, - creating a centralised, solid, and cohesive management structure on which to build future projects.

Hotels in Venice, Florence and Umbria

The Babini family’s history in the hospitality sector dates back to 1938 when it purchased the D'Angleterre et Beau Rivage hotel in Venice, now the Londra Palace Venezia. The hotel, managed directly by the owners, has 52 rooms and suites and has been a Relais & Châteaux since 2012. In 2003 the portfolio expanded with The Place Firenze in Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence: a hotel with 20 rooms and suites, some of which have been recently renovated. The Relais & Châteaux Borgo dei Conti Resort was restored and opened in 2008 and is currently undergoing a major renovation that should be completed by the end of this year.

A foundation supporting artisans crafts

The Place of Wonders foundation, founded alongside The Hospitality Experience protects and promotes the centuries-old traditions of Italian craftsmanship and creativity. The aim being to allow guests to discover the artistic and artisan wonders of the different destinations. In Florence the foundation has a project centered on the goldsmithing arts, and funds scholarships as well as organizing visits to artisan shops and workshops.