ECE has announced that it is developing its first hotel project in Italy. The new Roman hotel will be operated by Ruby Hotels when it opens in spring 2025.

The hotel will be housed in converted early 19th century listed property on Via Nazionale, in central Rome. The site until recently served as an office building. Once transformed into a hotel, it will boast around 165 guestrooms.

Initial demolition work for the property has already started and construction of the new hotel is expected to begin this autumn. The announced investment volume for the project is around €60 million.

The project is ECE Work & Live's first hotel development in the country and its first joint operation with lean luxury hotel group, Ruby Hotels.

Our first hotel project in Italy combines the main objectives of our strategy in the hotel segment: to expand our international activities and extend them to attractive markets such as Italy, to increase investments in the conversion of existing properties and to focus on hotels with a leisure and business competence. We are therefore very pleased to have identified a suitable existing property in the heart of Rome, which we can convert into a modern hotel building together with Ruby Hotels as our partner.

Torsten Kuttig, Director Hotel Development at ECE Work & Live

Within Rome’s stably growing market, affordable luxury is an over proportionately growing, albeit underserved niche segment. With our Lean Luxury concept, we aim to address this specific demand. This project fits perfectly, and we are particularly happy to be realising it jointly with our long-time partner ECE.

Catherine Hilt, Group Senior Manager Development at Ruby