Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to Manage Historic San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Italy

TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, together with Gruppo Statuto, one of the leading hotel development companies, are happy to announce that the celebrated San Domenico Palace in Taormina is under an extensive renovation program and will be unveiled as San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel.

San Domenico Palace is ideally placed on the hilltop town of Taormina on the eastern shores of Sicily, overlooking the Bay of Taormina and the Ionian Sea. The hotel features multiple terraces with clear views of the surrounding waters, as well as Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a beach club, lush gardens, and several restaurants and bars including the two-Michelin Star Restaurant, Principe Cerami.

The hotel comprises of an ancient Dominican monastery from the 15^th century, as well as a Grand Hotel Wing that was added in 1896. Guest rooms and public spaces feature original architecture and facades from the historic building. Regarded as one of the most famous hotels in the world, San Domenico Palace welcomed notable guests including Oscar Wilde, Elizabeth Taylor, and DH Lawrence, among many others. Along with idyllic natural surroundings, Taormina is also home to countless historical attractions, including an ancient Greek Theatre and the Corvaja Palace from the medieval era.

"San Domenico Palace is an extraordinary property in one of Italy's most historic and charming destinations, and to extend our presence in the region with this iconic property is a privilege," says John Davison, President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "Following many years of successful partnership with Gruppo Statuto through our hotel in Milan, it is an honour that they have chosen Four Seasons to manage this beautiful hotel, and we look forward to collaborating together on this new project and welcoming guests to a new Four Seasons experience at the San Domenico Palace."

"We are very excited to announce the next chapter of the San Domenico Palace as a Four Seasons hotel. We trust that through our important investment in the refurbishment of all hotel areas, maintaining the atmosphere of the historical Convento and the beautiful Palazzo, will perfectly match Four Seasons legendary service, creating the most successful guest experience," says Giuseppe Statuto, owner of Gruppo Statuto. "Taormina is an incredible destination, and we look forward to showing guests both old and new all that the region has to offer in partnership with Four Seasons."

San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel will be led by Lorenzo Maraviglia as General Manager. Lorenzo joined Four Seasons in 2015 at Four Seasons Resort Dubai Jumeirah Beach as the Director of Food and Beverage, before moving to Four Seasons Hotel Dubai International Financial Centre as Hotel Manager. Lorenzo has been on the ground in Taormina for the past several months overseeing the preopening of the hotel and building a team to soon welcome guests to the newest Four Seasons experience in Italy. 

Following extensive renovations, the hotel will reopen with 111 guest rooms and suites, a new beach club and restaurant, along with the two-Michelin Star Restaurant, Principe Cerami, as well as enhancements to the current facilities and public areas. The hotel will also include a state-of-the-art spa with seven treatment rooms, an indoor pool, and a Turkish Bath. Guests can look forward to exceptional service and updated amenities when visiting San Domenico Palace, Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel, while retaining the atmosphere and allure of the hotel's historic surroundings.

About Gruppo Statuto
Gruppo Statuto owns and develops luxury Hotels at the top level of the market.  The Group's activity also includes residential as well as High Street retail developments both in Roma and in Milano. Gruppo Statuto owns some of the most iconic luxury 5-stars hotels in the country, among others, the well known Hotel Four Seasons Milano, the Iconic Hotel Danieli in Venice which will soon undergo an important refurbishment and other Hotel projects which are under development in Roma and Milano city centres.

About Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Founded in 1960, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is dedicated to perfecting the travel experience through continual innovation and the highest standards of hospitality. Currently operating 117 hotels and resorts, and 44 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries, and with more than 50 projects under planning or development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world's best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com. For the latest news, visit press.fourseasons.com and follow @FourSeasonsPR on Twitter.

About Four Seasons Historic Hotels
The Four Seasons collection of unique and architecturally important heritage hotels includes buildings whose origins range from the fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries:

• Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá, designed in 1946 by famed Medellin-born architect Santiago Medina Mejia whose characteristic stained glass windows adorn the exterior
• Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, sensitively adapted over ten years from two Renaissance palaces and set in an idyllic 11-acre garden
• Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, an Art Nouveau landmark in the remarkable city of Budapest
• Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, housed in a century-old neo-classical prison
• Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, transformed from a nineteenth century former Ottoman palace
• Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, the legendary eight story landmark built in 1928
• Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg, a fully restored 19^th century palace
• Four Seasons Hotel Prague, comprised of several riverside multi-era buildings
• Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, formerly the iconic Hotel Moskva
• Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, the Côte d'Azur's most legendary palace hotel, originally opened in 1908
• Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, the former social club that hosted the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra, originally opened on New Year's Eve 1930 and re-opened as a Four Seasons experience in 2017
• Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, the former Port of London Authority, a Grade II listed heritage building overlooking the Thames River
• Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, the former iconic Astir Palace south of Athens, now the first Four Seasons hotel in Greece
• Twenty Grosvenor Square, A Four Seasons Residence, the former home of the US Naval Forces in Europe and now the first Four Seasons standalone Private Residence

Upcoming historical restorations include the first Four Seasons experience in Spain with the opening of Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Madrid and the third Four Seasons experience in Colombia with Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Cartagena.

Contact:
Matthew Levison 
fourseasons@hlgrp.com          
646-274-3631

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