“Rome caput mundi,” wrote the Latins, and it seems this is still the case, if we consider the roster of openings destined for high-end hospitality planned for this year in the Italian capital.
There is great anticipation for the Six Senses chain’s debut in Italy, with Six Senses Rome inside the Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini in the city’s historic center. Patricia Urquiola‘s design combines the original charm of Baroque-style architecture with a contemporary interior focused on sustainability, through an important presence of greenery, natural light and open, breezy spaces. The more intimate side of hospitality has 96 rooms and suites, complemented by the convivial settings of the Bivium bar restaurant and Notos Rooftop.
Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Rome, on Via Veneto, is also on the way: from the union of two 19th-century palaces become, the group’s new destination destined to host 122 rooms and suites (including the 500-square-meter Nobu Suite) as well as a spectacular green rooftop terrace.
Not to be outdone is the BVLGARI Hotel Roma, which chooses Piazza Augusto Imperatore as its preferred address, occupying a fully restored 1930s modernist building. The Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel studio handled the interior design, which includes 100 rooms (mostly suites), the Niko Romito restaurant and The Bulgari Bar, both positioned on the top floor to take advantage of the unparalleled views.
Also planned for spring is The Rome Edition, from the Edition Hotels chain, adding to the group’s 2023 sequel of Riviera Maya openings in Kanai (Mexico), Singapore, Jeddah, and a second location in Tokyo, in Ginza precisely.
Rome has also been chosen by CitizenM as a future destination, but not before 2024. The chain will be busy on several fronts this year, between the New and Old Continent, with three new properties in Miami, Paris, and Austin.
We remain in Europe, where London and Paris continuously drive the project sector. Unmissable then will be the openings, respectively, of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair and
Le Grand Mazarin.
Located in the historic Hanover Squar, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is the sister property of the already well-known Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park; designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, it will contain 50 rooms and 78 private residences, and also here will be home to the UK’s first Michelin-starred Akira Back restaurant and its ABar Lounge.
Maisons Pariente, on the other hand, is positioning its new hotel Le Grand Mazarin in the lively Marais district: the classicism typical of the Grand Siècle has been translated by interior designer Martin Brudnizki into a design that pays homage to French craftsmanship and decorative arts in each of its 50 rooms and 11 suites.
Greece does not sit idly by and exhibits the new One&Only Kéa Island, a beachfront retreat on the island of Kéa precisely, which provides resort-style rooms, suites and villas according to a design by Heah&Co.
Straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul takes center stage in this review with the upcoming opening of The Peninsula Hotel. Overlooking the waterfront, it comprises four buildings (with a total of 177 rooms), three of which are protected historical monuments dating back to the early 1900s: an atmosphere of culture and art that also pervades the interiors.
Continuing beyond that is the exclusive JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge in Kenya, Marriott International‘s first luxury safari lodge in Africa. Built in agreement with Baraka Lodges, the new lodge will be developed within the Masai Mara National Reserve, overlooking the banks of the Talek River, among wild sauna and boundless plains. 20 private tents including a “presidential” proposal with two interconnecting suites and private terraces have been interior designed by Kristina Zanic. Also present are common spaces including a restaurant, lounge bar, spa, and a large outdoor terrace.
