We are proud to present this next issue in our series focusing on the people, culture and communities that make up our diverse Waterstone Collection. Throughout the series we will continue to introduce you to people who are passionate ambassadors for their local cultures and communities. In this edition we focus on the family owned Sina Hotels, exploring the brand’s history and the luxury hospitality heritage being passed on from generation to generation.
View the 'SINA Hotels: Italian Luxury Hotel Collection' video
“What began as my own passion for travel and luxury hospitality has evolved over the last 60 years into a shared and inherited commitment by three generations of my family. From the first opening of the Sina Villa Medici in Florence, our brand has grown to a collection of 11 properties located throughout beautiful Italy with its rich history, culture, beauty, fashion, cuisine, and fine wines.
With hotels in Rome, Florence and Venice to provide leisure travelers with the classic Italian “Grand Tour”, the portfolio expanded into Milan, Parma, and Perugia where I oversaw the interior designs. I was fascinated with matching the decoration of the rooms in each location to the style of the building and the functional needs of the guests. Most recently we have expanded the collection again with seaside resorts in Viareggio and Capri and a beautiful countryside property in Northern Italy.
I am sure my parents would be proud to see my brother, Bernabò, and I leading the family business, with Valentina and Francesco, the next generation, ready to lead the Sina brand well into the future."
— Matilde Salvo, Vice President and Owner, Sina Hotels
When the history of luxury hotels in Italy is written, there will be many chapters featuring global hotel brands and independent properties. Among them will be Sina Hotels, the longest standing collection of luxury hotels in Italy, established and run to this day by the same Italian family. Founded in 1958 by Count Ernesto Bocca and his wife Ida (pictured right), Sina Hotels blossomed out of the couple’s passion for travel and luxury hospitality, which they greatly wished to pass on to future generations of the family. The former third generation head of Italy’s leading ‘tanning’ business, Ernesto and Ida bought Sina Villa Medici in Florence as their first hotel and welcomed the Shah of Persia as one of its first guests. When the Sina Bernini Bristol was purchased in Rome in 1973, daughter Matilde Salvo joined the company, marking the expansion of both the collection and the family business.
In 1986, Matilde’s brother Bernabò Bocca (pictured left) was the next to join the company where he immediately expanded the collection with the purchase of Sina Brufani in Perugia. Since then, the collection has grown steadily with the introduction of Milan’s Sina The Gray in 2003 and Venice’s Sina Centurion Palace in 2009, into a collection that today features 11 hotels located throughout the country. In 2018, Sina Hotels celebrated its 60th anniversary with Matilde’s son, Francesco Salvo, and Ernesto’s niece, Valentina Simili, keeping the family’s passion for luxury hospitality alive by leading the company’s marketing and sales efforts.
Matilde and Francesco Salvo
Valentina Simili
In addition to the family’s enduring commitment to the brand, the long serving General Managers at each property are also passionate hosts, eager to provide your clients with a range of compelling and unique experiences. Well known to the travel advisor community, Paolo Morra - Sina Centurion Palace, Stefano Chiesa - Sina Brufani, Mary Nikolaeva - Sina The Gray, and Lorenzo VivaldaSina Villa Medici welcome your clients as if to their own homes.
Sina Centurion Palace
Sina Brufani
Sina The Gray
Sina Villa Medici
With Sina Hotels’ health protocols having earned them the WTTC ‘Safe Travels Stamp’, you can be sure that your clients will be able to safely enjoy the collection’s inviting accommodations, exquisite restaurants, thriving bars and relaxing wellness facilities. Additionally, led by their passion for curating unique guest experiences, Sina has offers a variety of experiences in each city in which they are located. We encourage you to review this comprehensive range of additional experiences recently introduced to enhance your clients’ stay. Don’t forget about the company’s popular Diamond Grand Tour program which offers 6 nights for the price of 5 (plus a range of additional amenities) at any two or more Sina Hotels. Also, to show their thanks for the support of the travel advisor community during these difficult times, all bookings for 2021 arrivals will be commissionable at 15%.
MILAN: Yards from Sina The Gray, enjoy the stylish “Galleria”, the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, iconic fashion shops, restaurants and of course La Scala Opera House
VENICE: Take a morning stroll from the Sina Centurion Palace through the quiet residential Dorsoduro district in which it’s located, then head back to the hotel for lunch overlooking the Grand Canal, followed by an afternoon visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum next door
FLORENCE: After a long day of sightseeing there is nothing more relaxing than a swim at Sina Villa Medici, the only 5-star hotel in central Florence with its own pool surrounded by lush gardens
PERUGIA: Take advantage of the olive oil, wine, truffle, and chocolate experiences near Sina Brufani, which sits yards from Perugia’s beautiful cathedral and boasts stunning views over the Umbrian countryside
Travel Advisor Contact Information:
Valentina Simili, Director of Sales valentinasimili@sinahotels.com | +39 02 879131384
