in the Eternal City

John Rowan and Partner’s Hospitality and Leisure team has been hard at work playing its part in the delivery and renovation of the Intercontinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, a luxurious five-star hotel in the heart of Rome.

Standing proud on the glamourous Via Veneto boulevard, the hotel is steeped in history, having first opened its doors to visiting ambassadors in 1905.

A hive of activity, Via Veneto’s bustling streets are abundant with elegant five-star hotels and renowned cafes and restaurants, set against a backdrop of beautiful classical architecture on every street.

The elegant Ambasciatori Palace is no stranger to transformation but for the last 40 years had remained untouched, as a family-run hotel. Supported by our hospitality team, the hotel has undergone an extensive renovation. Elevating the hotel’s traditional architecture and elegance with a touch of contemporary design has transitioned the hotel into the 21st century.

“Rome is a wonderful city, an amazing place to visit. The hotel is in a fantastic location on the famous Via Veneto, with beautiful rooms. It’s an absolute must if you’re heading to the city.”

From the magnificent marble staircase taking centre stage in the hall to the more contemporary blueprint of Charlie’s Bar, the rooftop hideaway, there are decadent details to admire from the top of the hotel to the bottom.

For anyone planning a trip to Italy, Rome and the Ambasciatori Palace is certainly a place to visit. Paul Sherwood, executive director and head of Hospitality and Leisure for John Rowan and Partners, agrees: “Rome is a wonderful city, an amazing place to visit. The hotel is in a fantastic location on the famous Via Veneto, with beautiful rooms. It’s an absolute must if you’re heading to the city.”

Italy’s five-star hotel market is growing

“There are many five-star hotels being created in Rome at the moment,” says Paul. “It’s partly due to people travelling to flagship cities like Rome again, after the pandemic, and so there’s demand to support the market growth and investment. But, it’s also down to older hotels that have, in the past, been stars of the Italian hotel market such as the Ambasciatori, that have been neglected. This underinvestment brings development opportunity.”

A recent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers on the Italian hotel market, Hotel Market Snapshot 2023, agrees. It also notes that historically the Italian hotel market has been dominated by family-owned properties but over the last few years international and Italian hotel chains have grown in numbers due to the notion of “worn supply” – the number of family-owned hotels full of charm and character that need renovating and reviving.

The report highlights that Rome is leading the hotel market in Italy. “Rome confirms its position as Italy’s leading hotel market in terms of demand recovery, RevPAR (revenue per available room) growth and recent investment volumes.”