Hospitality Design - May 2014 - (Page 167)

perspectives interview valeriano antonioli By Ayesha Kahn Photography courtesy of the Lungarno Collection 1 HAUTE HOTEL 2 The Ferragamo brand takes a personalized approach Salvatore Ferragamo is remembered for placing Florence firmly on the map of Italian haute couture. Since the 1950s, when the famed shoemaker moved his operations from Los Angeles to his hometown, Florence has reclaimed its place as a modern day Renaissance capital of Italian artistry and craftsmanship. It's no surprise that the Ferragamo family opened its latest hotel-the second in its new Portrait brand under the company's hotel offshoot, the Lungarno Collection-in the city with the same bespoke spirit. The 36-suite Portrait Firenze joins an existing four hotels, including the first of the Portrait brand in Rome; fine dining restaurants; a luxury yacht collection; and a Tuscan villa, all united under founder (and Salvatore's son) Leonardo Ferragamo's vision that guests would "leave our hotels and cities with baggage full of lasting memories." The Ferragamo family opened its first hotel-and the first from the fashion world-in 1997. But other fashion houses see hotels as "an occasion to translate their strong brands into the reality of a hotel," explains Lungarno Collection CEO Valeriano Antonioli. "The Lungarno properties are not associated to a particular period in fashion. The choice for this brand to go into hospitality was due to a cultural 1+2. A suite at the Portrait Firenze embraces Florence's bespoke, made-in-Italy spirit and boasts a balcony with a view of the Ponte Vecchio. heredity, as hospitality was, and is, in the family's DNA." The Ferragamo family operated Il Borro, a massive Tuscan wine estate, for years before the launch of the Lungarno Collection. "They wanted to leverage their culture in this endeavor and not necessarily rely on the strength of their fashion brand," says Antonioli. What's more, the only direct reference to the Ferragamo brand at Portrait Firenze is the toiletries in the suites' Carrara marble-lined bathrooms. Instead, an ethos of made-in-Italy craftsmanship that defines the lauded fashion house pervades every space of the hotel, from the light-filled lobby and restaurant that overlook the Arno River to the sprawling 2,938-squarefoot penthouse suite ("the hotel's gem," says Antonioli) with views of the Ponte Vecchio. "As with our previous hotels, [Florentine architect and designer] Michele Bönan unites themes of 'harmony and irony' in his design to create delightful and eclectic hotels. This time he has drawn inspiration from the famed craftsmanship heritage of Florence and from the birth of Italian haute couture that took place here in the 1950s to create an exceptional home-like experience." Bönan conveyed this aesthetic by approaching the design through an aristocratic lens, featuring vintage Toscanova furnishings set hospitalitydesign.com May 2014 167 http://www.hospitalitydesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - May 2014

Hospitality Design - May 2014
Contents
online TOC
from the editor
people
people
perspectives
sketchbook
business sense state of the industry
trends millennials
places berlin
places hawaii
interview the trump organization
interview tao group
interview david seargeant
interview valeriano antonioli
5 questions for robert mckinley
products
profile cecilia dupire
trends rich fabrics
flooring
technology
sustainable
cevisama roundup
hd expo preview
from the show director
products
roger thomas
conference highlights
pentahotel
an nam
night market elements
the line
renaissance barcelona fi ra
hard rock hotel palm springs
ace los angeles
omni nashville hotel
regent phuket cape panwa
only you hotel & lounge
hyatt atlanta midtown
the royal snail
row nyc
st. cecilia
sophie’s at saks fi fth avenue
herringbone los angeles
old crow smokehouse
daikaya
ad index
ad index
back space
back space

Hospitality Design - May 2014