Kenneth Goh experiences a magical night of exquisite luxury in Palazzo Fendi.
Kenneth Goh experiences a magical night of exquisite luxury in Palazzo Fendi.
In today’s highly mobile environment, where Airbnb is everywhere and every five-star hotel purports to having a butler service and 24-hour concierge services, Fendi Private Suites prides itself on an experience unlike any other. This is no ordinary hotel—this seven-suite enclave of ultimate luxury (not often can you boast of having slept in Karl Lagerfeld’s sits in the heart of Rome, above Fendi’s flagship store in a 17thcentury Palazzo on Via della Fontanella di Borghese.
Well, if you have a spare 1,000 euros, or 10, this single-storey oasis and refinement can be your home away from home (and ticket to literally holidaying with the fashion cognoscenti of the world). Architect Marco Costanzi, who also designed Fendi’s new headquarters in the Palazzo della Civilità Italiana, explains, “When enter on the ground floor, there’s a different feeling. You can two hours buying something, then pop over to the VIP room, also has a different feel. You can stay in this enormous space for another two to three hours, go up to Zuma to eat, before going back to rest and sleep,” says Costanzi. He adds, “We had to have a restaurant, a hotel, a VIP area and retail. In the mind of Pietro Beccari CEO of Fendi), that’s part of Fendi’s DNA—a mix of materials, colours, lines, luxury, details and craftsmanship.”
The reception area is a bold, geometric play of coloured blocks, and furnished with a refined selection of contemporary and vintage design pieces. Each suite’s configuration is defined by the architecture of the historical Palazzo. Within the suites, 80 percent of the furniture is Fendi Casa, while 20 percent left to the discretion of Costanzi, who brought in Jan carpets, Gio Ponti mirrors, Lagerfeld’s black-and-white pictures and Fendi’s fur tablets.
Costanzi has but one wish for the visitors of Fendi Private Suites. “Most of our clients stay here for two three days. We want them to have a homely experience, to walk, to get lost at night on the beautiful streets.This experience is so unique to Rome.” That’s where I beg to differ—with these cosy, ultra luxe suites beckoning, I doubt anyone will want to get lost anywhere other than in the hallowed halls of this fine Palazzo.
