loveFMD Magazine Issue5

TRAVEL | PRINCIPE DI SAVOIA
From the very beginning, the Hotel Principe di
Savoia’s success exceeded all expectations. Developed
by a limited company called S.A. Acquisto ed Esercizio
Alberghi Savoia and designed by Cesare Tenca,
a prominent Milanese architect, its excellent services
and proximity in the heart of the historical city centre,
was determinant in its success. Outfitted with electricity
and every modern amenity, it offered the traditional
hospitality of a grand resort in an unapologetically
urban setting. The Principe di Savoia quickly became a
Mecca for sophisticated business clientele who might
wish to invite guests to dinner to work out the final
details of a contract ready for signing. Today, it continues
the tradition it has culled since its founding – a
place where the international elite of business and leisure
meet in an atmosphere of cutting-edge class and
sophisticated style.
Not only was Hotel Principe di Savoia part of the
movement west, it epitomized the luxurious lifestyle of
Italy’s wealthiest families and was a destination resort
before the term even existed. Among its famous guests
was Italy’s dashing literary icon, Gabriele D’Annunzio,
the Duke of Windsor and Erich Maria Remarque,
Charlie Chaplin and Josephine Baker, Evita Peron and
Maria Callas, Gianni Agnelli and Marella Agnelli, the
Prince of Monaco and the Visconti di Modrone, Henry
Ford and David Rockefeller, The Aga Khan and Aristotle
Onassis.
The history of the hotel, which dates back to the beginning
of the 20th century, is intimately connected to
the history of Milan, having played a significant part
as the stage for remarkable events. In the golden age
of the ‘30s, the Hotel Principe di Savoia became headquarters
for the Germans and later for the Americans.
Although the Second World War left its mark on the
hotel, it was not damaged by wartime events. Today,
it is one of the few that has not only survived, but still
flourishes as a world-class hotel.
In 1938, the company was incorporated into the CIGA
Hotels group (Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi, or
Italian Grand Hotels Company) , a super elite Italian
based international hotel chain, which owned a significant
number of the world’s most famous and exclusive
hotels like the Danieli and Gritti Palace in Venice.
Between 1956 and 1957, the hotel premises were extended
by two new wings, called ‘Principe Rosso’ and
‘Metallico’. Soon after the renovation, the hotel was renamed
as the Principe di Savoia in the 1980s prompted
by the fact that Principe di Savoia is the correct way
to refer to the Italian royal family, rather than Principe
e Savoia.
Located across the street from the Vienna State Opera, and as a Member of Leading Hotels of the World, Hotel Sacher is an Austrian symbol of luxury. © Hotel Sacher.
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