New St. Regis Opens in Florence

At long last, Florence finally has a St. Regis hotel. The brand-new St. Regis Florence used to be the Grand Hotel Florence under Starwood's The Luxury Collection brand, and just emerged from a 10-month restoration to bring the property back to its "historical grandeur and artistic heritage."

Originally designed in 1432 by Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect of the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, the Grand Hotel was the first luxury hotel in Florence and is considered to be one of the most significant buildings in the city for its artistic and historical value.

So what are the details? The St. Regis Florence has 81 guest rooms and 19 suites, including a designer suite by Bottega Veneta. Nice touch: All of the hotel's guest rooms and suites feature individually hand carved gold leaf plaques including one of three different color palettes - Medici, Florentine and Renaissance. In honor of Florence and its traditions, every guest room and suite is named after noted Italian artists, benefactors and nobility. The restoration
celebrates Florentine history and culture using authentic local artisans, product and design elements including custom hand painted Tuscan and Florentine landscapes in every guest room, historic Italian engravings as well as decorative antiques throughout the hotel.

Top pick: Designed by Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier, the Bottega Veneta suite is furnished with a mix of pieces from the Bottega Veneta furniture collection.

The St. Regis Florence is also the first to feature Iridium Spa Suites in Europe. These three suites have white and grey Florentine marble with gold and silver walls and custom designed mosaics. Two of the three suites feature circular chromo-therapy Jacuzzi tubs and double beds, perfect for couple massages and treatments.

Visit www.stregis.com/florence.