Grand Hotel et Des Palmes
- Milena Spino
- Jan 18, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 20, 2022
Luxury Hotel | Video Interview
What I will talk about today is, since 1881, a real symbol and emblem of Palermitan and Italian hospitality, The Grand Hotel et Des Palmes located in the central Via Roma at number 398.
From the intuition and vision of the Corvaia family, a broad connoisseur of the hotel industry and owner of the small pearl of the Hotel Metropole in Taormina, we had the pleasure of discovering the new (so to speak) "arrived".
Let me introduce with some historical mention: the structure is 141 years old and was built on the initiative of the Ingham-Whitaker family in 1874 and used as a private residence. Initially the building consisted of a two-story low body with an exotic winter garden that reached down to the sea. At the end of the 19th century the house was sold to the knight Enrico Ragusa who, in 1907, commissioned the architect Ernesto Basile to transform Palazzo Ingham into the Grande Albergo delle Palme, thus becoming a luxury hotel symbol of the Belle Époque.
To name a few more, Richard Wagner in 1881 finished the composition of the Parsifal there, Raymond Roussel lived there until his death and Charles Poletti transformed it into the US headquarters during the Second World War; I could go on and add films and works shot inside, but now it's time to talk about the present.
The Corvaia family, among other things of Palermo origin, with the support of the Superintendency of Fine Arts, has started an important renovation that has led the Grand Hotel to a re-contextualization in a historical key, maintaining and enhancing its characteristic and unique details.
The context is very elegant and with an Art Nouveau style dictated by dominant colors and materials: pearl gray for the rooms, dark wood combined with gold details for ornaments and decorations, and bathrooms of very precious marble.
The whole hotel has large rooms and spaces, and I think the term "imposing" is the most appropriate to describe it. Marina and Carmela, who take care of hospitality and care for the guest, say that Et Des Palmes is a reality that for the Palermitans represents a part of history, a true symbol as if it were a monument, which with the new renovation it wants to be experienced not only as a hotel.
The objective of the incredible Hall of Mirrors is precisely this, to make access also available to the exterior through the Mixology Bar, located in the center of the large room which in the evening turns into an elegant restaurant managed by Chef La Mantia.
The structure is still undergoing renovations on some floors, such as the gourmet restaurant on the roof garden, which will show a scenic Palermo from above.
It should be noted that the Team is almost completely new (with great previous experience for other realities) and shows with a genuine spontaneity the desire to best represent this place, offering guests a journey through time and an experience in the present.
Partner : Maserati Italia
