In the pantheon of the great names in travel, Orient Express takes up the course of its legend in the heart of Rome. Just a stone's throw from the Pantheon, at 69 Piazza della Minerva. The brand is unveiling its first hotel since its takeover by Accor in 2017, the French group having given itself for credo to propagate its rebirth on land and sea, between hotels, yachts and luxury trains. Not least in Italy, with the almost simultaneous debut of La Dolce Vita Orient Express, which left Roma Ostiense station on 4 April for its first exclusive journey through the vineyards of Tuscany.
With its long history and rich past, the Orient Express La Minerva hotel offers an immovable voyage of discovery. a contemporary interpretation of Roman heritage, full of contrasts and delicacy". as described. Although it has only just opened its doors, the is not to its first customers. Artists and intellectuals - Herman Melville, George Sand and Stendhal, among others, all frequented the hotel during their 'Grand Tour' of Italy, when it was still known as the Grand Hotel de la Minerve, launched in the early 1800s when the Palazzo Fonseca was converted into a hotel.e century.
Owned by the Arsenale Group since 2021, the establishment has been completely renovated to become " the very first Orient Express hotel in the world, giving shape to a new concept of ultra-luxury hospitality" said Paolo Barletta, CEO of Grupo Arsenale Group, Accor's partner for this project, as well as for the La Dolce Vita trains and the future Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli hotel due to open in Venice later this year.
Led by artist-architect Hugo Toro, the transformation has preserved the soul of the site, while adding a touch of modernity. references to major rail cruises. While the corridors are reminiscent of stylised carriages, the bedrooms are decorated with woods reminiscent of old trains and bespoke trunks as bedside tables. Even the Rivolta Carmignani bed linen, once found in the sleeper cars of the Orient Express train, will provide a cosy night's sleep for today's residents.
A blend of Art Deco style and contemporary chic, there are 93 rooms, including 36 suitesThese include four signature suites of 90m² or more: Stendhal, La Minerva, Obelisco and the Orient Express Suite, with a dining room and panoramic views of the Pantheon and Place de la Minerve.
Muse of the place, the goddess of arts and know-how is present, through its statue dominating the baran original work by Rinaldo Rinaldi dating from 1854. In the heart of the lobby, La Minerva Bar will be joined later this year by another bar, far removed from the Roman dolce vita, as it evokes the Osaka of the 1920s. One of the World's 50 Best Bars in 2024, the Mimi Kakushi concept was launched in Dubai in 2021 by Rikas Hospitality and is taking advantage of the partnership between this group and Paris Society, an Accor subsidiary, to expand into the Eternal City. As a further extension of this partnership, from May the hotel will offer a Gigi Rigolatto restaurant on its roof, a sophisticated Italian restaurant already present in Paris and Saint-Tropez.
While the Orient Express La Minerva is primarily aimed at leisure guests in search of excellence, the establishment is also designed to host chic and exclusive events with several reception venues These include the 75m² Gallery adjacent to La Minerva Bar, the Bernini and Alfieri lounges (between 25 and 30m²) for more intimate events, the Rinaldi lounge (54m²) whose décor is inspired by that of an Orient Express carriage and, finally, the 165m² Olimpo ballroom, adorned with eleven marble statues by Rinaldo Rinaldi embodying the seasons, the elements and the continents.
