Understanding the real potential of Rome as a luxury destination – 13 new luxury hotels opening! (Analysis)

Internationally, Rome is the only capital city which will see the addition of 13 luxury hotels in the next two years. Similarly to the differences between Madrid and Barcelona, Rome has always been behind Milan in terms of the positioning of the luxury markets – rates, number of high calibre luxury hotel properties etc. Rome has always been regarded as more of a cultural destination and explosion of low cost airlines has made travelling to Rome extremely affordable.

As with any other major destination, Rome needs to be reposition itself to increase its desirability and luxury aura, thus maintaining high rates. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether Rome will be able to maintain rates of above 1,000 euros for more than 1,500 rooms. Many hotels currently charging under 500 euros, may cut prices by 50% and most of those charging 700 euros (except newly renovated or newly opened) will decrease prices by 30%.

The record number of new luxury hotel openings in Rome (2023 – 2025), most of the affiliated to prestigious international luxury hotel chains – will primarily depend on how Rome evolves as a luxury destination

• Rome’s relevance and desirability must be significantly improved to cater and response to the needs of a broader profile of luxury travellers
• all new luxury hotels should consider a vital ”sense of place” to achieve genuine authenticity (both in product and offerings – dining, wellness, Spas etc)
• improve service standards – improve consistency in service; service must be perceived of being of world class standards, identical to Paris, London or New York
• location will be even more important – almost microscopic ! views will become a differentiating factor and will neighbourhoods
• greater focus on updating Rome as a vibrant, young destination – beyond just the cultural attractiveness
  • more quality entertainment
    • live at dining venues luxury hotels or new dedicated entertainment venues at hotels (ex Rooftop, Penthouse etc)
    • sleek new lounges, clubs, night clubs
• more luxury events such as ultimate product launches (jewellery), events such as ”Concorso d’Eleganza”
  • fashion shows – Alta Moda (Italian version of ”Haute Couture”) – major Italian maisons such as Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Schiaparelli and Dolce&Gabbana – Valentino and Schiaparelli permanently show in Paris, but last year, Valentino hosted a huge open-air catwalk show in Rome; Dolce&Gabbana shows its Alta Moda collections only in Italy – last year in Sicily
• attract a consistently well balanced local patrons – minimum 30/40%
• Rome as a top global culinary destination
• expansive full service luxury Spas, swimming pools (especially indoor) and rooftops – Spas will all become USPs for all top luxury hotels – not to mention swimming pools

As of the last quarter of 2023 / 2024 / 2025 Rome’s luxury hotel sector will be completely re-shaped

Top luxury hotels at 1,800 – 2,000 euros

• Bulgari Hotel Rome
• Hotel Eden Rome
• Four Seasons Hotel Rome
• Rosewood Hotel Rome
• Orient Express Hotel Minerva
• Baccarat Hotel Rome
• Mandarin Oriental Rome
• Corinthia Rome

Luxury hotels at 1,300 euros

• Hotel de la Ville, Rocco Forte
• Portrait Roma
• St Regis Rome
• Hotel de Russie, Rocco Forte Hotels
• Nobu Hotel Rome

Luxury hotels at 1,000 euro 

• Six Senses Rome
• J.K. Place Roma
• EDITION Rome
• Intercontinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace
• VILON Roma

Luxury hotels at 800 euros

• Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese
• UMILTA36
• Maalot36
• W Rome

As of July 1st 2023, Rome’s luxury hotel sector will be broadly re-aligned 

Luxury hotels at 1,500 euros 

• Bulgari Hotel Rome
• Hotel Eden Rome
• Hotel de la Ville, Rocco Forte

Luxury hotels at 1,000 euros

• Six Senses Rome
• Intercontinental Rome, Ambasciatori Palace (opening April 2023)
• EDITION Rome

Luxury hotels at 800 euro 

• UMLITA36 (Shedir Collection)
• Maalot (Shedir Collection)
• Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese
• W Rome
• Villa Agripina (Melia)
• Ripetta Palace Rome

Luxury hotels at 400 euros

• Anantara Palazzo Naiadi
• Baglioni Rome
• Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria
• The First Roma Dolce
• The First Roma Arte
• Singer Palace
• Palazzo Montemartini, Radisson Collection
• Palazzo Manfredi
• Westin Excelsior Rome

Hotels which should be downgraded to 4 stars (incl. all those which are not undergoing confirmed renovations in 2023 / 2024)

• Indigo Rome
• Parco dei Principi
• Bio Hotel Raphael (Relais & Chateau)
• Lord Byron Grand Hotel Plaza
• Pantheon Iconic Rome
• Margutta 17
• Locarno
• Hotel Sina Bernini Bristol
• Hotel d’ Ingliterra (Starhotels)
• Singer Palace
• Palazzo Dama

Until March 1st 2023, Rome’s luxury hotel sector featured the following properties:

Luxury hotels at 1.200 euros:

Hotel Eden Rome – excellent location (secluded, safe and spectacular views of the city); superlative service standards; impeccably maintained product, Michelin starred dining with spectacular rooftop restaurants; exquisite luxury Spa by Valmont

Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie – top location in the heart of Rome, a good ratio of suites, including signature suites but overall product is dated and tired; very small spa with small indoor heated pool

Hotel de la Ville Rocco Forte – exceptional location but not the best views, brand new rooms and suites; small Spa with 2 treatment rooms; lacklustre F&B, very much a ”hotel dining”

Hassler Roma – unrivalled location at the top of the Spanish steps with picture perfect views; the family owned property has been lacking desirability and has become a lacklustre property which has lost relevance and is overpriced considering its actual offering

J.K. Place Roma – used to be ranked among top 3 luxury hotels in Rome before the pandemic; good location but none of the accommodations have any views; well maintained property with oversized bathrooms but no proper suites; still boasts good service standards; F&B of ‘hotel dining’ standards, no Spa or swimming pool

VILON Rome – opened in 2021, it still ranks as one of the finest luxury design / lifestyle hotel in Rome, with a superb location; consistently high service standards (individualised & bespoke); an impeccable restaurant in very high demand and impressive sophisticated public spaces; no spa or swimming pool

Portrait Roma (Ferragamo family) features 15 ultra-luxury suites and it is located at Via Condotti on the upper floors which houses the Ferragamo store – steps from Piazza di Spagna. Service is of the highest standards – personalised, individualised, attentive, predictive and most genuine.

St Regis Hotel Rome – superb luxury accommodations (including top luxury suites consistently renovated in the past 3-4 years (Pierre Yves Rochon) excellent service standards; location is not considered as prime because of the close proximity to Rome’s Termini railway station; hotel only has one restaurant which is part of the hotel lobby; there is no Spa and no swimming pool

Palazzo Ripetta Rome – opened in 2022, privately owned by the Ginobbi / Crisci families (Italian); 78 rooms and suites opened in a historic palace from 1600s, steps from Via del Babuino and Via del Corso; no spa, no pool and a restaurant that still needs a lot to be a fine dining destination.

Luxury hotels at 700 euros:

Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese – newly renovated luxury palazzo with some rooms and suites overlooking Villa Borghese Gardens; excellent service; attractive rooftop dining

UMILTA36 – brand new luxury hotel in the heart of the city – sleek interiors (both rooms and p

Maalot Roma – brand new luxury boutique hotel opened in 2022; consistently high service standards, excellent dining; steps from Fontana di Trevi

Anantara Palazzo Naiadi – ‘grand dame’ majestic classic building – requires immediate renovations; other Anantara properties in Europe which have been recently renovated now rank among the top 5 in each city – Anantara NY Palace Budapest, Anantara Krasnapolsky Amsterdam and Anantara Plaza Nice.

Baglioni Rome – Via Veneto location, but very tired and dated product; ”hotel dining”

Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria – spectacular location; an ideal urban luxury resort but the entire hotel requires immediate renovations; product is of Hilton Garden Inn standards not Waldorf Astoria 

The First Roma Dolce – relatively new five star product (opened in 2021), small patisserie focused dining (only breakfast & lunch), basic contemporary accommodations – but new; good service standards

The First Roma Arte – more of a 4 star product (small rooms & suites) and a basic lobby; 2 Michelin starred roof top restaurant with a great reputation in Rome (many do not even associate it with the hotel)

W Rome – opened with rates above 1,000 euros in 2021 and was the city’s hottest new ‘luxury’ hotel with F&B frequented by 90% locals; nowadays rates have been slashed and the desirability seems to have evaporated; when it opened, locals were still not travelling abroad because of the pandemic; hotel only has a small outdoor terrace operating in summer; no spa

Villa Agripina (Melia) – not considered to be located in a prime location, accommodations in need of renovations; attractive indoor / outdoor swimming pools; Spa by My Blend Spa by Clarins which enjoys a good reputation.

Five star hotels under at 500 euro:

Palazzo Montemartini, Radisson Collection – 4 star hotel operated by an Italian third party management company; under franchise with Radisson Hotel Group

Westin Excelsior Rome – massive hotel with 326 rooms and suites on Via Veneto; probably the most dated and tired product among the five star properties in Rome; has been in a derelict state for many years; it will take a huge investment to renovate

Indigo Rome (IHG) – dated product of a 4 star standards which lost its sparkle when opened 9 years ago

Aleph Hotel Rome (Curio by Hilton) – dated & tired product in need of immediate renovations; mediocre dining; no spa

Parco dei Principi – stunning complex with huge potential as a luxury urban resort (10-20 minutes drive from centre of Rome)  – lush gardens and palace style buildings – but in urgent need of renovations

Bio Hotel Raphael (Relais & Chateau) – rather 4 star than 5 star, in both product and offerings

Lord Byron (Small Luxury Hotels) – rather 4 star than 5 star  – dated and tired product

Grand Hotel Plaza – 3 star hotel overhyped and ranked as 5 star

Margutta 17 – 4 star hotel with an exaggerated 5 star rating; lacklustre product

Singer Palace Rome – highly over-rated hotel which is hardly of 5 star standards – mediocre product and dining; no spa, no pool

Palazzo Dama Rome – highly over-rated ”lifestyle hotel” which is hardly of 5 star standards; no spa, no pool

Locarno Hotel – excellent location but extremely tired product of 4 star standards if not renovated immediately

Sina Bernini Bristol – despite renovations in 2021/2022, hotel has not improved ranking; small rooms and suites in a property which resembles more of a 1980’s office building

Hotel d’ Ingliterra (Starhotels) – top prestigious location steps from the prestigious Via Condotti – Rome’s leading luxury shopping high-street; product requires immediate renovations; no spa

Hotel Palazzo Manfredi – exquisite location with great views; overpriced 5 star property with a product that is lacklustre and tired.

Luxury new hotel openings in March – June 2023

Six Senses Rome – brand new luxury hotel with 95 rooms and suites  in the heart of the city; aims for a top positioning with rates from 1,000 euros / night

Intercontinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace – brand new 160 room luxury hotel with a good location, 3 dining venues including the franchise of the famous Scarpetta Restaurant (New York)

Palazzo Roma (Shedir Collection) is a 39-room hotel with 19 junior suites located on Via del Corso near the Parliament and Piazza Colonna in a stunning heritage building which has been meticulously renovated and restored. Hotel will feature an elegant fine dining restaurant and an an exquisite courtyard terrace

Luxury new hotels opening in Rome between July 2023 and 2025

Bulgari Hotel Rome is scheduled to open this June at Piazza Augusto Imperatore at the heart of Campo Marzio. It will boast a top luxury product by Antonio Citterio & Patricia Viel, the largest indoor swimming pool among all luxury hotels in Rome, state of the art Spa. Three Michelin starred Chef Niko Romito will oversee all the dining at the hotel.

Four Seasons Hotel Rome will open end of 2024 at Palazzo Marini (Piazza San Silvestro) a 17th-century heritage building in the heart of Rome (opposite the Apple flagship store) which was acquired by Bill Gates, the majority shareholder of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts through his company Cascade Investment LLC. 

Rosewood Hotels is set to open in 2024 on Via Veneto in the property formerly occupied by BNL Bank – property owned and developed by Colliers Investors Italy (formerly Antirion SGR) which also owns UMILTA36 in Rome as well as several other properties in Italy, including Milan but also resort destinations.

Nobu Hotels is expected to open later this year at Via Veneto in the property formerly known as Grand Hotel Veneto. The property is owned by Carlo Acampora, son of renowned lawyer Givanni Acampora. This is the first Nobu Hotels property in Italy. The first Nobu Restaurant opened in Milan in partnership with Armani at Via Manzoni.

Mandarin Oriental Hotels is reportedly eyeing an opening off Via Veneto at Villini Sallustiani, a property owned and developed by Merope Asset management. Mandarin Oriental already operates in Milan, Lake Como and is confirmed to open in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Accor’s Orient-Express Hotels will debut in Rome in 2024 transforming the Minerva Hotel. Starwood Capital’s Baccarat Hotels is expected to open in 2024 Baccarat Hotel Rome which will occupy the former Majestic Hotel Rome. Also opening in 2024 is Romeo Hotel Roma, the sister hotel of Romeo Hotel in Naples

Corinthia Hotels has partnered with Reuben Brothers to open a luxury property in the former Bank of Italy – works are already underway. Reuben Brothers also owns La Palma luxury resort in Capri which opens June 2023 under the management of Oetker Collection.

Oliver Petcu

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