I had the opportunity to stay one night at The Grand Hotel Plaza in Rome some time ago. The hotel is one of the oldest and most prestigious hotels to be found in Rome. It is situated in the heart of the historical centre of Rome and only a few steps away from Trinità dei Monti, otherwise known as the Spanish Steps – home to Via dei Condotti and the best shopping in Rome.

For almost a century and half, the Grand Hotel Plaza has resided in the antique Palazzo Lozzano in Via del Corso, whose design has endured through to the current structure, uniting, in around 1834, several pre-existing buildings in the same area by the architect Antonio Sarti, concluding the project in 1837.

The building was later reinvented as Architect Sarti’s Inn from 1862 to 1863, and it was with this function that it became an example of one of the most antique and prestigious hotels in Rome.

Further construction work took place in 1920s, inspired by the Art Nouveau style in fashion at the time and by the growing importance of the hotel as a meeting place for cultural exchange, in a period where the city of Rome was recognised once again for its role as the homeland of Classics, Culture and the Arts.