Aperture

🏡 Nuvole Garden Hotel in Brunate, overlooking Lake Como, revives the historical Grand Hotel Milano after 40 years of silence with an 8-year renovation. Accessible by funicular from Como in seven minutes, the hotel offers 80 rooms and suites across five floors, including 29 suites and 37 lake-view rooms. It was originally designed in Art Nouveau style by Italian architect Achille Manfredini in 1910. The hotel showcases noble materials, fine fabrics, rare marbles, and crafted finishes. The Sole Gourmet Restaurant led by Executive Chef Stefano Mattara, honors Italian cooking legend Gualtiero Marchesi. The hotel's spa, THE SPA, features Finnish saunas, infrared sauna, Turkish baths, and sensory paths for wellness. Nuvole Garden Hotel, owned by Emilio Polillo of Italiana Hotels & Resorts, promises exceptional experiences for guests, events, and is the group's first luxury market venture.

🏡 ÖÖD Hotel, the first in Italy and Southern Europe, featuring mirror houses, is coming to Casola in Lunigiana, owned by Davide Longobardi of Spino Fiorito. The project, initiated in 2018 and resumed post-pandemic with a 2021 visit to Estonia, will open within weeks. Architect Paolo Scoglio designed a treehouse-like, reversible site without concrete use, including an outdoor deck, a 2.5-meter high ÖÖD house, and a 4.5-meter high mirror sauna, establishing a flagship point for ÖÖD in Italy.

🏗️ Winter 2025/2026 sees Star Clippers debut Grenada as a starting port for Caribbean cruises, including Eastern Costa Rica, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. Birgit Gfölner expects high demand, as five departures from Nice between September and October 2025 are quickly selling out. Early booking discount offers up to 20% off until April 30, 2025. Cruises from Grenada feature 10 and 11-night itineraries. Consecutive cruise bookings attract an additional 5% discount. Special promotions for 2025 Christmas cruises include a €600 onboard credit, no single supplement, and a third guest travels free sharing a double cabin.

🏥 Four Points by Sheraton, part of Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio, launches Four Points by Sheraton Dakar Diamniadio in Senegal, marking the brand's debut in the country. Located 20 minutes from Blaise Diagne International Airport in the new Sports City complex, the hotel is near Abdou Diouf International Conference Center, Ousmane Tanor Dieng ministerial sphere, UN headquarters for West Africa, and the future Olympic stadium for the 2026 Youth Summer Olympics. Sandra Schulze-Potgieter, VP at Marriott International, highlights the hotel's significance in business, sports, and tourism growth. The hotel features 173 rooms with modern amenities and free Wi-Fi, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and 139 square meters of flexible meeting space.

🏎 Paolo Barletta, CEO of Arsenale, launched "La Dolce Vita Orient Express," a luxury train by Arsenale and Accor, debuting in Italy with the Orient Express brand, including the La Minerva hotel opening in Rome. Celebrated at Rome's Ostiense Station with partners Arsenale, Accor, Fondazione FS Italiane, and FS Treni Turistici Italiani, it signifies a Made in Italy "rail cruise" concept merging rail, cruise, and hotel sectors. Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express, highlights the train's 60s-70s era-inspired design. Italy surpassed France with over 458 million tourist stays in 2024. Luigi Cantamessa notes the reopening of 1,000+ km of railway as "green branches." The train's inaugural journey from Rome to Montalcino places the capital at the forefront of luxury tourism.

🏡 Preferred Hotels & Resorts expanded its Italian portfolio with 13 new properties in 14 months, including the Armani Hotel Milano joining the Legend Collection. The brand now boasts over 50 hotels in Italy. Among the new entries are the Grand Hotel Imperiale, Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Ara Maris, Boutique Hotel Stresa, Cala del Porto Punta Ala, Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort, and others such as Hotel Excelsior Spa & Lido, Castello Dal Pozzo Resort, Hotel Number Nine, The First Musica, Hotel Bellerive Lifestyle, and Savona 18 Suites.

🏖️ Emblems Collection, a brand of Accor, will open the Hotel Bellevue Cortina d’Ampezzo Emblems Collection in Italy by end of 2026, marking its first property in the country. The venture is in partnership with Prodea Investment and Invel Real Estate. Located on Corso Italia in the exclusive alpine destination of Cortina, the resort has roots dating back to the 19th century. Italian architecture studio pconp and Tihany Design are overseeing the contemporary alpine restyling and interior design, respectively. The hotel will feature 80 luxury rooms, including 27 suites with mountain views, and a 500-square-meter Spa with a focus on wellness. Aiming to redefine alpine hospitality, Emblems Collection is set to debut other European properties in 2025 and plans to expand to 60 worldwide by 2032. Accor currently operates 5,600 hotels across more than 110 countries.

🏖️ Tunisia showcases strong sales for the Nicolaus Group in 2024, with exceptional results during the Easter weekend and April 25th holiday. Paola Coccarelli, the company's Chief Product Officer, highlights popular destinations Djerba, Mahdia, and Hammamet. Djerba Golf Resort & Spa and Nicolaus Club Helios Beach offer sports, gastronomy, and beach attractions. Authentic experiences await at Nicolaus Club El Fatimi & Acquapark Mahdia, while the newly renovated Nicolaus Club Nozha Beach Resort & Spa in Hammamet promises a dynamic vacation in 2023.

🏖 Planeta hospitality season starts March 27, 2025, with La Foresteria Wine Resort, followed by Planeta Country House on April 11, and Insula beach club on June 1. Located in Menfi, the resort offers a unique experience of food, nature, and relaxation. Visitors can explore Planeta wineries, participate in cooking classes, and enjoy biking. Special activities include walks at Planeta Country House and the 'Chiama Vinu' ritual, while Insula beach club provides wellness by the sea. La Foresteria's restaurant, led by Angelo Pumilia, offers signature dishes celebrating tradition. Francesca Planeta highlights Menfi as a "mosaic of authentic experiences" for an authentic Sicilian journey.

📍 The Social Hub debuts in Rome on Monday, March 31, at the ex Dogana in San Lorenzo. The Dutch brand's investment exceeded 114 million euros, marking its 21st property in Europe, with a presence in the Netherlands, Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, the UK, and Spain. The project spans 24,000 sqm, featuring two buildings with a park, designed by Matteo Fantoni Architetti and managed by ITS Controlli Tecnici. The new building includes a 4-star hotel with 392 rooms and amenities like a bar, restaurants, meeting spaces for up to 70 guests, a 24-hour gym, rooftop terrace with a pool, coworking space for 160 professionals, and a planned covered plaza by 2026. The 10,000 sqm public park, designed by landscaper Antonio Perazzi, will be completed in 2025. The F&B offer includes a restaurant & bar, a cocktail bar, and the artisanal pizzeria Berberè. Memberships start at 121€ per month, providing access to workspaces, the pool, gym, and over 600 annual events. CEO Charlie MacGregor emphasizes the project's role in urban regeneration and sustainable city development.