Luxury hotels not only stand out with splendour, fine dining experiences and impeccable service,
but with unique historical backgrounds and philosophy of life.
Bspoke has compiled a list of the best luxury hotels with a fascinating history.
Italians Luxury hotels with a fascinating history.
Motto is a luxury hotel in the heart of Vienna, an ancient city that is located on the banks of the river. The architecture is imbued with Renaissance and Baroque styles with elements of the gothic and byzantine details: towers and domes as well as the design of the facade, created by the top artisans of Vienna Artisan Craft movement. In the realm of classical music history, Hotel Motto was the birth home of Josef Strauss, son of the famous composer Johann Strauss, who called the hotel home in 1827.
This historic building has housed hotels for more than three centuries, and the first hotel, the Golden Cross, was opened in 1665. The Golden Cross turned into the Kummer Hotel in 1872 and became a centre of attraction for cultural figures. Famous artists, painters, sculptors, writers, actors and musicians spent their time having small talk and a coffee, wine and Austrian delicacies.
Located in the heart of the city, Motto combines the Parisian vibe of the 20s with a modern Viennese sense of life and Scandinavian cosiness. The main value of the boutique hotel is the focus on sustainable and respectful using of resources. For example, some pieces of furniture were made by small Austrian manufactories to support local crafts. The hotel continues to attract creative personalities from all over the world because of its combination of magnificent decoration and subtle eclectic design.
Maalot is located in the heart of the Eternal City and is the authentic residence of Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), the famous Italian composer, and author of operas such as Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor and Maria Stuarda. Travellers can sense hotel’s radiant ambience in its eclectic architecture.
Located in a historic building, the hotel surprises guests upon arrival. In the Don Pasquale Bar & Restaurant, located on the ground floor, visitors are welcomed by a central court with a glass ceiling. The centrepiece is an extravagant chandelier with light red fabric lampshades. The property is the manifestation of the colonial-British style, where pastel colours, works of art, custom furniture and a rich variety of textures make the design cosy and electric concurrently.
Atelier Inès. Arts & Suites is a boutique art hotel, inspired by the art attitude of Annibale Oste, the well-known artist and sculptor active between 1960 and 2010. From 1900 to 1930 the grounds were an open-air area for cinema and theatre. Later on, the building was built by Annibale’s grandfather in 1947 and since then became a residence of the Oste’s family. In 1980 the ground floor initiated hosting Annibale Oste’s art studio where he designed and hand-made every artwork seen around in the hotel, art galleries and concept stores, public spaces and private collections.
Vincenzo, Annibale’s son, assisted in the workshop from a young age. He was educated as an artisan designer, mainly seeing his father’s creations as a source of inspiration. In 2010, Vincenzo and sister Mariasole overtook their father’s art studio and fully focused their efforts on continuing the family business. A year later, Vincenzo married Tunisian artist Ines Sellam, and together they decided to open an art hotel in Naples that would reflect the philosophy of the family and become a magnet for creative people from all over the world.
The Grand Hotel et de Milan is a place with a rich atmosphere, full of heritage, that was left by the great people whose names have shaped world history. The Grand Hotel et de Milan was opened in 1863 and has maintained all the charm of an old Milanese house. It is still a favourite hotel of great representatives of the world of culture, fashion, music, and business, among them are Verdi, Callas, Hemingway and Mastroianni. The construction project was assigned to the famous architect Andrea Pazzala, an outstanding professional, known mostly for the Galleria De Cristoforis in Milan, which he created in 1831.
The building was smaller compared to the current one. A place with an eclectic style, the facade and ornaments of which represent many references to the neo-gothic elements. By the end of the 19th century, the hotel had gained considerable importance, as it was the only one in the city provided with postal and telegraph services. For this reason, the hotel was often visited by diplomats and businessmen. The most famous person visiting the property was Maestro Giuseppe Verdi, who stayed here since 1872, alternating his life in the city with the cosy surroundings of his house in Sant’Agata.
In those years, Verdi worked for a long time on Othello, and then on Falstaff. The hotel has always been a kind of “Annexe” to La Scala. One of the regular guests, Severino Gazzelloni, the famous flautist, proclaimed as “The Golden Flute”, usually peacefully rehearsed here in the early evening. During the most recent significant restorations taken out between 1990 and 1993, part of the great defensive wall, built in 250 AD by Emperor Maximian, was discovered. This is a crucial feature of the defence of Milan, the symbol and the edge of the city. Today, the carefully restored remains can be esteemed by descending from the Don Carlos restaurant to its wine basement. The wall is located in the centre of the hall and is surrounded by very prestigious Italian and international wines.
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