Nothing can ruin a vacation like being the victim of a pickpocketing scam. Throughout Europe specifically, a new study shows that there are some destinations where theft is more prevalent than others.
23.04.2024 - 08:16 / skift.com / Sean Oneill
Portrait Milano is a case study in how to put a new luxury hotel on the map. The 73-room property opened in Milan’s fashion district in December 2022. It’s part of the Lungarno Collection — a set of boutique hotels solely owned by the family behind fashion house Ferragamo.
“We’ve become a hub of the city’s fashion district,” said Valeriano Antonioli, CEO of the Lungarno Collection.
After only 16 months, Portrait Milano now generates the second-highest revenue per available room among Milan’s luxury hotels, according to Antonioli. (STR, the data benchmarking service, doesn’t publicly disclose figures for individual hotels.)
While each hotel opening is unique, Portrait Milano’s story suggests key factors that all investors should consider as they try to establish new luxury hotels in key markets.
Getting regulatory support is easier if you can make a persuasive case as a hotel developer that your project will enhance the community, rather than detract from it. Plus, many luxury travelers seek hotels that give a sense of place.
Portrait Milano was created in what was once the oldest seminary in Europe. The Catholic Church vacated the structure a few decades ago. Attached to it is the Piazza del Quadrilatero, a 32,000-square-foot public space surrounded by colonnades.
A competition was organized to essentially auction the property, with 17 finalists, including some of the world’s famous hotel operators.
“We won without making the biggest financial offer for two reasons,” Antonioli said. “Number one is because our concept was focused on ‘inclusive exclusivity.’ We never put a barrier at the entrances to the square. It is open for everyone, which is opposite to the trend in cities.”
“Second, because we belong to the Ferragamo family, we won because that family has always been in a good light on everything they’ve done in the cities they’ve operated in,” Antonioli said.
The hotel operator also runs Portrait hotels in Florence and Rome.
Antonioli knew that restaurants and wine help make a hotel. He wanted the restaurants and bars at Portrait Milano — Beefbar, 10_11, and Rumoure — to make a splash.
“In year number one, our restaurants in Milano produced more than €10 million [about $11 million] in revenue, or roughly 30% of overall revenue, with double-digit profitability,” Antonioli said.
That means we’ve had hundreds of locals coming in daily, as their hotel guest volume alone couldn’t have supported that level of business.
“We’ve been very lucky to reinvent the , a kind of comfort food that hadn’t been updated to serve in fine restaurants until we did it,” Antonioli said. “It became the talk of the town, the talk of the villages in the mountains, and that helped the hotel.”
Having food that seemed
Nothing can ruin a vacation like being the victim of a pickpocketing scam. Throughout Europe specifically, a new study shows that there are some destinations where theft is more prevalent than others.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) announced the signing of a fourth hotel in Varanasi, a 101-key Ginger hotel. It currently has two Taj Hotels and a SeleQtions hotel (as part of the Tree of Life conversion) in Varanasi, a city with deep cultural and religious significance.
Here are some things that Finca La Donaira does not have: televisions, a reception desk, a restaurant, a bar, a concierge, a paved road in front of it, room keys, any sort of dress code, luxury-brand lotions and shampoos, designer linens, tasting menus, symmetry, and shiny objects.
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What better way to celebrate the start of a marriage than with an unforgettable honeymoon in a dream location? But with so many exquisite island destinations to choose from, it can be difficult for honeymooners to decide which is the best for a romantic getaway. On average, couples spend around $5,000 on their honeymoon, so they’ll want to make sure they get the most value for money.
While iconic Caribbean dishes span from ackee and saltfish to coucou and flying fish to mofongo, each island across the region is united by one common spirit: rum, to be precise. Derived from fermented and distilled molasses, this alcoholic beverage has played a major role in Caribbean culture for centuries, with the world’s oldest surviving rum distillery deed dating back to 1703 and hailing from Barbados. In the modern era, the spirit also serves as a major draw for tourism, with the Caribbean’s most opulent hotels and resorts offering carefully-curated rum experiences for visitors to enjoy. As you plan your next booze-focused foray into the region, don’t miss out on these world-class hotels.