When the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace swung open its doors on May 1, it became the first new hotel to open directly on Via Veneto in years. A stone’s throw from the American Embassy, the building was originally constructed in 1900 as a residence for visiting ambassadors. It served as a library for the American Embassy in the 1940s, before becoming a family-owned hotel. In 2018, IHG Hotels & Resorts took over to usher the property into a new era.
“My approach for any of our projects is mainly to reuse and work around the existing features, so we walked in and yes, it was dark, it was old, it was dated in a way. It had never been refurbished, but the box was there with these beautiful gold ceilings and columns,” explains Veronica Givone of IA's Managing Director of Hospitality.