Bettoja Hotel Group, a 140-year old Italian hospitality company, will spend about $24 million on renovations to its three Rome properties over the next few years.
"Our message to the trade is that they can count on us to deliver a high-quality and dependable experience to their clients," Maurizio Bettoja, the president and fifth generation of his family to lead the company, told TravelPulse at an event in New York. "We have always maintained our hotels, but this is a highly organized plan that will result in a better product than ever."
He said the goal of the investment was to create hotels that offer the highest level of stay but without losing their soul and becoming like any other "standardized" hotel. The hotels, very close to one another, have 504 rooms among them. All three are within walking distance of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. The Termini rail station is a block away, offering access to other cities in Italy.
The renovation begins this summer with the 245-room flagship, the Hotel Mediterraneo, the tallest hotel in the walled city of Rome. The work will include a new conference center and restored meeting rooms. Renovation of the other two hotels will take place over the next couple of years.
To oversee the project, Bettoja has brought in a veteran hotelier, Ciro Verrocchi, to serve as director general. He has had a long career with major chains like Starwood and spent the last nine years with the Intercontinental Hotels Group. Verrocchi told TravelPulse that it is his mandate to reposition the properties, taking them to the next level, and, because of the family ownership, it is possible to see immediate results.
One new strategy, Verrocchi said, is to have three price tiers with the Hotel Mediterraneo at the highest level, the 185-room Massimo D'Azeglio about 10 percent less expensive and the 70-room Atlantico about 10 percent less expensive than that.
Verrocchi said that since North America is the largest market, the company will be more aggressive in reaching out to the trade here.
Bettoja said that with new high-speed rail service from Rome, travelers can use a Bettoja hotel as a base and take day trips to Naples, Capri or Florence.
The hotels feature two fine dining restaurants, Massimo D'Azeglio and the Roof Garden, the latter with a spectacular city view. The Massimo D'Azeglio has a vaulted wine cellar that can be reserved for private parties.
Verrocchio concluded a presentation by saying, "I have worked with big chains, but you can never say 'Hello Mr. Westin' or 'Hello Mr. St. Regis,' but you can say 'Hello Mr. Bettoja.'"
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