Elizabeth Unique Hotel - a generous embrace in Rome

Elizabeth Unique Hotel Rome is a precious residence where ancient stories interlace with modern ones, hospitality is a generous and genuine embrace, and wishes are fulfilled before being expressed. The hotel’s cosmopolitan and never conventional atmosphere seems to evoke memories of the first modern explorers, scions of European aristocrats, who during their ‘grand tours’ came down to Rome and were especially charmed by centuries of history, art and culture. Mr Hudson speaks to Michela de Martino, Hotel Manager, about the Elizabeth Unique brand and some of her favourite places.

Tell us about yourself

I have lived in Rome since 2000, and after a couple of very formative years in the launch team of a big hotel, I moved to work for smaller luxury properties where you have the opportunity to make a real impact on the guest experience by applying a very personal touch. After six years in the Parioli district, I am now proud to be in the best area that Rome offers and in a unique property. What I always try to instil in my team is that they can make the difference. A bit of extra effort, a welcoming smile, in-depth knowledge of our city and the empathy towards our guests make us the extra special addition to a modern, unique and design-led hotel.

What does the Elizabeth Unique brand stand for?

Luxury is not about appearances but about being understood, finding joy in the small things and inspiration in artistic expressions that guide you from antiquity to the contemporary, with the additional privilege of being part a community of enlightened travellers. This is what our brand represents.

What makes Elizabeth Unique Hotel special?

Our hotel is not only special but unique. It is a one-of-a-kind property, where guests enter a wonderland of luxury and simplicity and experience a real sense of home. From the moment they walk through the door for the first time to the moment they say goodbye, from the moment they savour their breakfast to the moment we wish them goodnight. A home away from home – this is what the Elizabeth Unique Hotel is.

“Today’s sophisticated traveller longs for and expects to experience unique, genuine, extraordinary, priceless moments – this is what defines luxury”

How do you keep up with changing customer expectations?

We listen to our guests’ comments, and we participate in many events where the traveller is the main focus. For example, we are a plastic-free hotel, and at our Donna E Bistrot we offer a truly local food experience, following Italian tradition and sourcing produce from local purveyors.

What makes a great hotel?

Being a small property, our staff is what makes the difference. It is our unique selling proposition and we strongly believe that constantly identifying new ways to motivate them and to foster a unique sense of belonging is the best way to make them feel part of our venture, or better still, part of our family.

How has hospitality evolved over the last decade?

We believe that now more than ever, today’s sophisticated traveller longs for and expects to experience unique, genuine, extraordinary, priceless moments: this is what defines luxury, its distinguishing feature. We offer an alternative to the existing system – globalised and standardised – and value rarity, authenticity, uniqueness and emotiveness, making these values available to our guests.

How important is design as part of the hotel experience?

From the concept of spaces to the furniture, from the atmosphere to the reception of our guests, we wish to honour our artistic and cultural heritage through diverse collaborations with some of the city’s most famous names in art and culture. Elizabeth Unique Hotel is a place where art holds an essential role, a place where guests can recognise themselves and go on a journey through innovative works of art, the result of our collaboration with the well-known art gallery Galleria Russo.

What makes Rome such a great destination?

As the famous Italian and Roman actor, Alberto Sordi once said: “Rome is an open-air museum, a lounge to cross on tiptoes”. There is no other city like Rome. Its uniqueness, its history, its corners, its culture, its food, its lively neighbourhoods and its teeming streets make the Eternal City a unique destination.

What are some of your favourite places in Rome that people need to know about?

Make sure to visit Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, or Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins, a church located on Via Veneto, close to Piazza Barberini, whose peculiarity is a crypt that contains the remains of 4.000 friars that for the most part are used to create elaborate ornamental designs. And tucked away inside one of Rome’s gardens, Villa Torlonia, you will find La Casina delle Civette, a museum that gets its name from the recurring theme of owls. And last but not least, Centrale Montemartini, a former thermoelectric power plant, which is located in the Ostiense neighbourhood and is now a museum where 400 Roman statues, previously exposed at the Musei Capitolini, are displayed.

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