Rome's Hotel Boom: Zaha Hadid, Bulgari, and Six Senses Lead Design Renaissance

Rome has emerged as a destination for architecturally ambitious hotels, with several major openings since 2023. ROMEO Roma, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and opened in November 2024, restored the 16th-century Palazzo Capponi on Via di Ripetta, revealing a 1st-century Roman workshop beneath. The hotel features a swimming pool with a glazed floor over the archaeological site, now an open gallery. Alfredo Romeo's personal art collection includes works by Mario Schifano, Mimmo Paladino, and Francesco Clemente. Alain Ducasse operates his first Rome restaurant downstairs under chef Iacopo Iualè. Bulgari Hotel Roma opened on June 9, 2023, in a 1936-38 rationalist palazzo by Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo on Piazza Augusto Imperatore. Designed by Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, it features Pentelic marble, travertine, Murano glass, and Rubelli tapestries. Niko Romito runs two restaurants and Italy's first Bulgari Dolci. Six Senses Rome occupies a former 16th-century cardinals' college restored by film directors. These hotels integrate archaeological remains and historic fabric into contemporary design, marking a shift from Rome's previous reliance on grand dame hotels.