Inside the Newly Renovated InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace

Summer in Europe always comes with plenty of new luxury hotel openings. But for years, Rome was mostly left out of the boom. Until now.

In 2023, Rome is being bombarded with new five-star hotels and undergoing a major hospitality revival. This year alone Bulgari, Six Senses, and InterContinental have opened, with Rosewood, Edition, Nobu, Baccarat, Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, and ROMEO coming later this year and in 2024 and 2025.

But there is one recently opened hotel that stands out due to its careful restoration of a historic building. The grand InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, which opened May 1, is housed in a building on Via Veneto originally built in 1905 to host diplomats visiting the nearby American embassy. Designed in the style of a neo-Renaissance palace by celebrated architect Carlo Busiri Vici, IHG Hotels & Resorts had their work cut out for them in terms of preservation.

“Historic hotel renovation projects, especially those in architecturally significant buildings such as this one, are always a balancing act,” says Luca de Stefano, general manager of the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace. Achieving the right balance, between heritage and modernity, restoration and reimagination is always a challenge, but it’s the most magnificent one, because it results in some truly extraordinary creations, as it has with this hotel.”

To complete the project, IHG Hotels & Resorts teamed up with interior designers IA Interior Architects to draw on genuine local materials, Italian heritage, and Roman tradition.

For IA’s managing director of hospitality Veronica Givone, who originally hails from Italy, the project was personal. She had collaborated with the owners back in 2018 during selection and acquisition of the property, as well as on its initial design while at another architecture firm before the pandemic. Subsequently, she was appointed to direct and revise the design project with her IA team.

“I will always remember in 2018 when I walked into this old, tired building and everyone was like, ‘It’s very heavy, it’s very dark,’” she said. “I was walking around and I kept saying, ‘Oh wow, this is unbelievable. Oh, look at the detail. Oh, look at what we can do here.’”

IA and IHG drew from the building’s history as well as its location on the storied Via Veneto and its legacy of la dolce vita, best encapsulated by Federico Fellini’s movie of the same name. That experience starts in the main lobby, where guests are greeted by a design motivated by the original decor, which includes the grand columns framing the magnificent icon staircase and stucco plasterwork on the ceiling and walls that were all carefully restored. Modern design elements such as a brass screen, bespoke Murano glass chandeliers by Vistosi, and reinterpreted Roman tapestry intricates on marble floors by Margraf help the entrance be impressive yet still warm and inviting.

“The grand columns and magnificent staircase were elements we knew we had to respect, renew and preserve,” says de Stefano. “The goal was to bring the public and guest spaces of the hotel into the present while also providing windows into the hotel’s storied and glamourous past.”

Brass portals and red marble emphasize the lobby space’s lofty height, drawing guests to the centerpiece staircase that runs through all six floors of the palace. The magnificent staircase now stands immaculate. But it wasn’t quite that way at first, although the bones were there.

“It was all yellow, it was painted yellow,” recalls Givone.

Hoping to inspire guests to use the stairs instead of the elevator all the time, Givone wanted to make the stairs both attractive and functional.

“We preserved the structure of the stair from the first floor up to the sixth floor. It’s all open, it has a glass roof at the top, so there is direct natural light coming from upstairs,” she says. “I got inspired by the Roman Opera House, so on the windows we put in red draperies, like a cardinal red, with a red runner in the middle [of the stairs] on the original Carrara white marble.”

The original black metal and wooden handrails were repaired and repainted by artisans with goldleaf decoration to match the original style.

Upstairs are 160 rooms and suites (61 of which have balconies or terraces with Via Veneto views) sporting decor that underscores Italian traditions and craftsmanship. There are arch motifs that elegantly divide the living spaces in the executive suites, drawing inspiration from Italian luxury apartments; brass handles on the wardrobes that resemble Roman fluted columns; and because Romans used a lot of patterns, Givone applied herringbone wood floors for a contemporary yet refined look.

The team put a premium on using Italian artisans and manufacturers to bring IA’s designs to life, which allowed them to be completely hands-on throughout. From playfully patterned textiles by Rubelli to custom fluted glass wall lamps by Contardi, nearly all of the furnishings and decor were designed by IA and made in Italy.

As important as the hotel’s looks is the guest experience. Guests can expect five-star service and amenities like Illy coffee machines and full-size Byredo bathroom products in the rooms, a gym with personal fitness trainers available, and concierge services with a theater ticket desk. Multiple dining outlets at the hotel include Scarpetta NYC, which serves elevated Italian cuisine alongside the flavors of an American steakhouse on the ground floor along Via Veneto, the relaxing and welcoming Anita Lounge & Bar, and the lively rooftop cocktail bar Charlie’s with panoramic city views and DJ sets that’s open year-round.

“This hotel has made its grand entrance into a competitive market,” says de Stefano. “IHG Hotels & Resorts is at the forefront of a resurgence in luxury in the Italian capital with the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace. We are thrilled that guests will be able to see the future of the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand, but also feel the rich history steeped into this palace.”