Company Press Release: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
February 14, 2000
ROME, ITALY -- On the same date as the original opening 106 years ago, and after a year of restoration work, the
St. Regis Grand of Rome reopens its imposing front door on Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando.
A huge enterprise of 450, including painters, artisans and restorers, working day and night, along with an investment
of more than $35 million, more than 60 billion Italian Lire, has enabled Le Grand Hotel to once again regain its
image of luxury and join the very prestigious hotel group of Starwood, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.
Marble columns, frescoed ceilings, Murano glass chandeliers, antique rugs, vintage furniture, and silk brocade
covers, today are all joined with the most advanced technology available to guests, like multimedia equipment,
ISDN phone lines and videoconferencing services.
``For 106 years Le Grand Hotel has been the center of Roman High Life and considered a temple of luxury, hosting
film stars, princes and heads of state,'' declared Stephen Alden, Vice President and Managing Director of the St.
Regis Grand in Rome. ``We don't intend to abandon this image, however, we feel that today our guests have different
needs with regards to functionality and efficiency.''
161 exclusive rooms, characterised by hand paintings of Roman monuments, 25 refined suites, a fitness center on
the fifth floor overlooking ancient Roman Baths, a uniformed staff greeting guests and ready to answer each and
every request with impeccable personalised service, will all render the hotel ``unique'' from any other luxury
hotel, making the St. Regis Grand, Rome, indeed an unequalled structure in Rome, truly a destination in the Eternal
City.
The new restaurant VIVENDO, while maintaining its legendary atmosphere of years past, offers a superb selection
of contemporary Mediterranean dishes created by Chef Umberto Vezzoli, who has already received high praise in some
of the most prestigious gastronomic guides.
A wine cellar ..DI..VINO is also to be inaugurated where, along with the pleasure of tasting a rich selection of
refined wines, private parties of ten guests may be held.
The Salone Ritz, the first ballroom inaugurated in Rome and possibly the most requested in Europe, taking its name
from Cesar Ritz, the originator of luxurious hospitality, has returned to its antique splendour, thanks to the
arduous restoration of its splendid frescoes by the famous painter, Mario Spinetti.
Another exclusive highlight of the hotel, being also an exclusive in Rome, is the creation of the Bvlgari Suite,
which, together with the Royal Suite and the unique Private Diplomatic Entrance, with private parking and lift,
will be one of the most requested apartments by the numerous celebrities who have always chosen to reside at the
St. Regis Grand Hotel when traveling to Rome.
On a curious note, there is a small vineyard in the courtyard of the hotel producing a few numbered bottles of
a wine that is unique in the whole world. It is called ``Adornetto'' and is not for sale: it is reserved for special
occasions and for the most affectionate clients, only.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., through its St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Sheraton, Four
Points and W brands, is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 700 hotels in
77 countries and 130,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.
SOURCE: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.