Official confirmation has arrived from Mandarin Oriental regarding the Group’s debut in Rome, at Villini Sallustiani. The new 5-star address will feature 108 keys, over 40 of which will have a garden or terrace, 6 restaurants, a bar with a panoramic terrace, a gym, and a SPA. The news dates back to the end of 2021: since then, negotiations and contracts have been carried out between Mandarin Oriental and Merope Asset Management, which purchased the former Unicredit Villini, ten 19th-century buildings, from Colony Capital.

The hotel will be inaugurated in the second half of 2026: the ten villas will be renovated to create 108 rooms spread over a surface area of more than 18,000 sqm, arranged in various buildings surrounded by a park. The resort will be the fifth Mandarin Oriental branded property in Italy, following the Mandarin Oriental Milan, a 5-star hotel with 104 keys, and Mandarin Oriental Lake Como, a 5-star hotel with 75 keys located in Blevio, and the upcoming openings in Cortina d’Ampezzo with the rebranding of the Cristallo Resort & SPA, a 5-star hotel with 83 keys, and in Porto Cervo with the rebranding of Hotel le Ginestre, a 5-star hotel with 83 keys.

Merope acquired the properties for 100 million euros, while under the agreement reached with Mandarin Oriental, Merope will also handle the redevelopment and restoration work, for a total investment of approximately another 100 million euros, as well as the multi-year management of the new property. The proposal for a building permit exemption was only recently approved by the City Council, consequently changing the land use designation from residential to hospitality.