Celebrated Experiences

The Grand Hotel Cavour offers nice value in a central location between the Bargello and Duomo of Florence, both seen so clearly from the hotel’s rooftop terrace! Lorri met with the revenue manager, Stefano Fusaro, to see the latest updates and take a peek at the amazing view. The lobby has been updated this year and looks good! In addition to connecting options, family suites for up to 5 people have also been added.

We love our collection of distinctive historical properties such as Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo. This small property truly gives guests the opportunity to live in a noble Florentine palace. Lorri met with the owner, Ginevra Niccolini, who highlighted the deluxe suite with its stunning view of Florence’s Duomo. Although the hotel does not have a restaurant, they can arrange private in-room dining to savor the historical atmosphere to the fullest.

Lorri met with Giancarlo Carniani, General Manager of two of our Celebrated Hotels in Florence who was eager to share the latest news. Villa Olmi Firenze is their countryside property, located about 15 min from the city center and accessible via a complimentary shuttle. New this year is a glass veranda to enjoy outdoor dining. Plaza Hotel Lucchesi is located on the Arno River in the city center of Florence and offers a fabulous rooftop terrace and bar. New this year is their innovative transformation of their popular happy hour. The chef arranges different courses using a lunch box with 4 different sections. This has created a very trendy happy hour on the incredible Empireo rooftop.

BREAKING NEWS FROM ITALY: We are thrilled to announce that we now offer guides, private tours, transfers, and special experiences in Italy!! These have been core services for our UK & Ireland divisions for nearly 30 years, and we are excited to add this to our Italy offering. We launched Celebrated Italy in 2014 strictly focused on our vetted Collection of Celebrated Hotels, and we committed to only add these services once we were 100% confident that they would achieve the level of expertise and value that you have come to expect from Celebrated Experiences. From Lake Como to Sicily, we have built a "dream team" of handpicked partners across Italy!! If you are a travel advisor and would like to learn more, tune into our next Celebrated Tea & Trivia (check your email for more details or comment below to register).

Enjoy the replay of another fun CELEBRATED LIVE! Jonathan welcomed Dan & Rohaise Rose-Bristow, owners of The Torridon in the Scottish Highlands! They discussed kerplunking, their first jobs, innovation, a Hogmanay that guests will never forget, the ultimate sense of place gin, and so much more! ENJOY!

Only 3 more episodes to go! See you at 2PM eastern!

Stay tuned as we will be making a major announcement on Tuesday that is sure to make many clients happy! Travel Advisors, make sure to check your email and keep an eye on our social media accounts to learn more!

Lorri enjoyed her visit to Golden Tower Hotel Firenze - Florence Hotel, a family owned boutique hotel in Florence. The General Manager, Gian Maria Prian, and the front office manager, Sara Carniel, were excited to show off their spa. Our favorite rooms are still the tower rooms that provide the perfect backdrop for this historical property beside Piazza Strozzi.

Hotel Rivoli provides a nice option for Celebrated clients seeking a more moderate price point. Laura Innocenti, Sales and Marketing Director, and Federica Siviero, Sales Manager, were thrilled to show Lorri the latest addition at Rivoli, their brand new boutique spa. The intimate spa, opening in just a few days, will be available for private use only by guests. Rivoli also offers a lovely garden with small pool and 1 and 2-bedroom family suites.

We have so enjoyed witnessing the amazing transformation at Grand Hotel Minerva since the launch of Celebrated Italy in 2014, and Lorri was excited to return. Lorri met with our friend, Director of Sales Andrea Bargigli. All of the premium rooms have been refreshed in 2020, and both Lorri and Andrea shared their excitement that the hotel was voted #4 in Florence on the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards. This hotel continues to be a favorite among Celebrated families with connecting options, family suites and a rooftop pool with stunning view!

One of Celebrated’s dearest and longest partners is Maria Rita Bellini, General Manager of the boutique hotel Antica Torre di via Tornabuoni 1. Updated this year with a new air conditioning and heating system, Maria Rita showed Lorri the library junior suite and the panoramic suite with its terrace overlooking Ponte Vecchio, two of our favorite rooms. Lorri also visited one of our Celebrated Homes, the Gianfigliazzi Apartment, which is managed by the hotel. This apartment can be rented as a one, two or three bedroom residence offering up to 2100 square feet of privacy in such an incredible location.

Federica Martini, the Director of Sales for Portrait Firenze and Hotel Lungarno, Firenze, welcomed Lorri and shared their many updates. They had an espresso together at Caffe’ dell’Oro at Portrait Firenze. Enjoying a cocktail here has become even more fabulous as the street in front of Portrait Firenze, Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli, has become pedestrianized this year! Federica also took Lorri up to the deluxe Ponte Vecchio Suite with its very long terrace. New at Hotel Lungarno is the Picteau Bistrot & Bar which combines the creativity of their Cocktail Bar with the signature dishes available at Hotel Lungarno’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Borgo San Jacopo.

The Celebrated inspections continued on to Florence. Lorri visited Hotel Brunelleschi Firenze where she met with General Manager, Claudio Catani, and the Director of Sales, Fabiola Menchetti. They enjoyed an amazing dinner in their Michelin Star Restaurant, Santa Elisabetta, and over the course of her visit, she was able to see the numerous renovations we had heard so much about such as their sound proof windows, new curtains, updated TV’s, new mattresses, new floors, updated headboards, and a state-of-the-art kitchen for their gourmet restaurant! It has certainly been a busy year at Hotel Brunelleschi!