Orient Express hotels prepares to embark on new journey

PARIS – Accor has officially marked the launch of its Orient Express hotel collection by announcing reservations are available for the Spring 2025 opening of the 93-room Orient Express La Minerva in Rome.

Published rates for a classic room start from €1,000 with breakfast included; suites start from €2,500, breakfast included; and Signature Suite start from €3,500 and up to €15,000, breakfast included.

Later in 2025, the Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovanelli will open in Venice. In addition, two Orient Express Silenseas ships -- the La Dolce Vita Orient Express and Orient Express Corinthian – will open in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Orient Express CEO Gilda Perez-Alvarado told Hotel Investment Today last month that the brand has other assets in the pipeline, mostly in the Middle East and elsewhere in Europe.

The Rome property, formerly known as Palazzo Fonseca, dating back to the 17th century, occupies an entire island site and was acquired in 2021 by Arsenale SpA. Following a comprehensive renovation, the building’s interiors and historical features have been designed and restored under direction of Franco-Mexican Artist architect and interior designer Hugo Toro.

Rooms, ranging from 25 to 235 square meters, include 36 suites with four Signature Suites boasting views of the Pantheon and the Piazza della Minerva La Minerva. The hotel has comprehensive food and beverage programs, featuring a rooftop Mediterranean restaurant and bar with immersive views of the Eternal City. The hotel includes a spa, ballroom and meeting spaces, as well.

“It is with great pleasure to officially introduce the first asset to iconic Orient Express portfolio of hotels, trains, and sailing yachts,” Perez-Alvarado said.

During her Hotel Investment Today interview, Perez-Alvarado described how the hotel in Rome dates back to the 1600s and the Venice property dates back to the 1400s.

“That’s what we want to do. That’s how we want to develop the brand. It’s going to be a collection of extraordinary places, extraordinary experiences, each with their own story very much in line with the Agatha Christie days, the incredibly rich history of 140 years that the brand has,” she said. “And for us, we are basically custodians of the brand. This is a brand that has a tremendous amount of visibility, a tremendous amount of brand equity. It has an engineering past, an entrepreneurial past, a literary past, and our job is to make sure that this new manifestation of the brand endures, and that the brand can go on for at least another 140 years.”

She continued by saying while like Orient Express guests have most likely been to destinations like Rome and Venice many times before, the new brand will provide more than a hotel stay. “You get to experience the cities in a very different way that only by staying at Orient Express you get to do,” she said. “So, the experiential aspect of Orient Express is absolutely critical.”