Six Senses Rome, the first Urban Hotel of the famous hotel operator in Italy, was inaugurated last spring in the heart of the Eternal City after the renovation of the historic Salviati Cesi Mellini Palace, a stone’s throw from Piazza Venezia.
The interior design of this 5-star luxury hotel – which includes 96 rooms, some structural elements of the 1950’s and a large 4th-century baptismal font re-emerged during excavations – has been signed by Patricia Urquiola, who has combined classicism and modernity in a balanced work with soft tones and a strong connection to nature.
The spaces are thus a fascinating sequence of references, with carpets inspired by Roman mosaics, decorations recalling those of the Triclinium of the Vigna Lupi Domus, and the extensive use of local materials such as opus signinum (cocciopesto), travertine and wood.
Six Senses Rome offers an idea of contemporary hospitality, where part of the services are directly connected to the city and available to city users as well as guests. First, it is an intervention of urban regeneration, and only second an architectural one.
The accessible spaces also include the BIVIUM – the Restaurant-Café-Bar area open all day and exclusive meeting place – which merges with a winter garden filled with fragrant Mediterranean plants such as figs, pomegranates, grapes, strawberry trees and aromatic herbs. Earthy palettes and natural surfaces create a familiar space, with custom-made furniture designed by Patricia Urquiola and produced by Prisma, an Italian company specialised in the production of catering equipment.
The lobby bar – designed to optimise the efficiency of the mixologists – is characterised by a robust tubular structure in AISI 304 stainless steel, supporting an imposing marble cladding, with fronts of the working section in bronzed-brass stainless steel. The same warm finish is also used in the coffee counter and in the details of the freestanding displays which give rhythm to the room. The latter, resting on Roman travertine islands and totally enclosed by glass to allow a view from all sides, display wines and seasonal products preserved thanks to refrigeration and ventilation systems that ensure temperature stability and uniformity.
Also custom-made by Prisma is the pastry and ice-cream counter. Its double refrigeration system, as well as its ice-cream carapinas flush with the surface, have been perfectly integrated in a single block of stone and wood. Finally, the space is enriched by a show-cooking station where Prisma, together with Therma Electrolux, provided the equipment and furniture necessary for the kitchen staff of the hotel to efficiently meet the special needs of events and other occasions.
