In Italy, a trio of NH Collection properties stand out for their singular locations and surfeit of character.

Photographs by Christopher P. Hill

*Left to right:* Garden views from the portico of NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi’s lagoon-side annex; garden-side dining at the same hotel.

From the bedroom atop the 13th-century stone tower that crowns what is said to be Italy’s oldest hotel, I marveled at the wraparound views of the Florentine cityscape. In one direction, the great dome and bell tower of the Duomo di Firenze, seemingly close enough to touch; in another, the River Arno and the imposing bulk of the Medicis’ Pitti Palace. Alas, my own quarters down stairs weren’t quite as enviable as this three-floor tower suite, which I glimpsed just before its next lucky guests checked in. But even the most modest room at NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa exudes the kind of character that can only be found in an establishment with centuries-old roots.

Before my latest trip to Italy, I had never stayed at an NH hotel. That’s quite an omission considering the Madrid-based chain—originally founded in 1978 under the name Navarra Hoteles—operates more than 350 properties across three dozen countries. But most are concentrated in Europe, far from my usual stomping grounds in Asia. Indeed, I only first heard of NH when Thailand’s Minor Hotels acquired the company in 2018, adding it to a global portfolio of brands that includes Anantara and Avani. So with a week to spare in Italy, I decided it was time to acquaint myself with NH, and in particular NH Collection, the group’s eclectic top tier of properties. My first stop was Rome.

*Left to right:* The sitting room of a junior suite at NH Collection Roma Fori Imperiali; a bedroom at NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa.

NH Collection Roma Fori Imperiali

There may be more lavish hotels in the Eternal City, but only this one provides a front-row seat to the ancient stones of Trajan’s Forum. My corner suite at NH Collection Roma Fori Imperiali—the most intimate of the Collection’s four Roman addresses—looked straight across to the spiraling friezes of Trajan’s Column, backdropped by a canopy of umbrella pines and the wedding cake–like Vittorio Emanuele II monument. That view—even more stupendous from the hotel’s rooftop cocktail terrace—is reason enough to check in here, though boutique vibes and outgoing staff add much to the equation.

Occupying a late-19th-century office building, the 42 rooms are cozy and contemporary, with teal accents, gold-toned light fixtures, and mural-like wallpaper depicting old Roman villas. (Book a suite if you can; regular rooms are on the smaller side). Another pleasing touch was a welcome tray of ciambelline al vino (wine cookies) and a small decanter of gentian liqueur. The hotel’s discreet entrance and residential ambience made me feel like I was staying in an upscale apartment building.

There’s no spa or gym, but there is some very tasty food. Sicilian celebrity chef Natale Giunta is behind the menu at Oro Bistrot, a small but fetching restaurant off the reception area where I dined on an oxtail agnolotto and sea bass with smoked potatoes and bagna càuda (a garlicky anchovy dip). And for a sunset aperitivo with monumental views, the rooftop bar is hard to beat.

nh-collection.com; from US$585 a night.

*Left to right:* NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa’s welcoming doorman, Vincenzo Cozzolino; the same hotel’s vaulted breakfast room.

NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa

The next day in Florence, a blue-suited doorman ushered me graciously through the big red door of NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa. Backing the hotel’s claim to being the oldest in Italy, records show an inn stood on this site as far back as the 1300s. The current structure—a sturdy 16th-century palazzo that incorporates the original medieval tower—became a hotel in the early 1800s, welcoming Grand Tour travelers like Stendhal and Byron. The building has since seen numerous transformations, including a major restoration in 2010 when NH took it over. Subsequent renovations have introduced a more sophisticated aesthetic along with upgraded amenities, though the highlight of the place remains its wealth of historic elements and flourishes, from the timber beams of the tower suite to the stained-glass skylight above the reception hall.

That skylight bears the family motto of the site’s industrious 15th-century owners: Per non dormire, or “not to sleep.” It’s an odd relic for a hotel—especially one where sleep comes so easily. Fresh from a recent makeover, each of the 72 rooms has a different layout, ranging in size from cozy to starkly spacious. They’re all done up in a mellow palette of cream, ivory, and pale russet, with smartly dressed beds backed by botanical-printed headboards and tied-back draperies. Mine had a soaring ceiling and an arched seating alcove; some suites are adorned with centuries-old frescoes.

As with my stay in Rome, the location—close to the Arno in the relatively sedate neighborhood of Santa Maria Novella—was ideal. The boutiques of Via de’ Tornabuoni are a few steps away; Piazza del Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery lie within a 10-minute walk. Better still, the switched-on concierge team can hook you up with less obvious experiences: a lesson in foglia d’oro (gold leaf) application at the Maselli family’s framing workshop, say, or a private tasting at Castiglion del Bosco Wine Lounge, where I sampled some elegant reds from fashion scion Massimo Ferragamo’s estate in the hills of Siena.

Lavish buffet breakfasts are served in a vaulted room adorned with frescoes and checkerboard marble floors. I also enjoyed my dinner at Porta Rossa Bistrot, the hotel’s bijou street-facing restaurant, where chef Enrico Lo Presti brings a dash of Genovese flair to his menu. But there is no shortage of dining options in the vicinity. A couple blocks north at Cantinetta Antinori, Tuscan classics are served in the former cellars of a 15th-century palazzo. Nearby, Antico Ristorante Paoli 1827—one of the city’s oldest restaurants—is a must-try for its bistecca alla fiorentina. And I more than satisfied my street-food cravings in Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, where a tripe stand dished out panini stuffed with steaming-hot lampredotto, a Florentine specialty made from the fourth stomach of a cow. It tastes a lot better than it sounds.

nh-collection.com; from US$350 a night.

*Left to right:* The canal-side entrance to NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi; tortellini stuffed with Tuscan pecorino and black truffle at NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa.

NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi

“This is Venice at its most authentic,” said Raffaello Panariello during a walk through the low-key neighborhood around NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi, where he has been general manager since NH took over the property in 2020.

The 64-room hotel sits at the northern edge of Cannaregio, the most residential of Venice’s six sestieri (central districts)—an area far enough from St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal to deter the tourist hordes, yet humming with its own kind of magic. Almost next door is the Chiesa della Madonna dell’Orto, the final rest ing place of Tintoretto, where you can admire several of the Venetian painter’s masterpieces in near solitude. A leisurely stroll away, regulars gather at the bacari (old-school bars) along Fondamenta della Misericordia each evening for spritzes and the city’s best cicchetti (Venetian tapas). The surrounding alleyways are lined with neighborhood bakeries and artisan workshops.

Originally built in the late 16th century, the former palazzo maintains an opulent air. Interiors are replete with Carrara marble, Murano glass chandeliers, rich brocades, and gilt-framed portraits of doges past, while rooms on the piano nobile floor are suitably grand, featuring high corniced ceilings and original terrazzo floors that have sagged gracefully with age. The hotel grounds stretch all the way back to the lagoon, where a villa-like annex is topped by the lavish, two-level Presidential Suite, offering views across the water to the Venetian mainland and the hazy Dolomites beyond. Past guests have included Angelina Jolie and the Dalai Lama.

Between the annex and the main building lies another of the hotel’s trump cards: an expansive private garden first laid out in the 1700s. In a city where green spaces are rare, this one is especially tranquil, its trees filled with birdsong above plantings of roses, camellias, hydrangeas, and viburnum. Tucked into one of its leafy nooks is an ivy-covered ghiacciaia: an underground chamber where blocks of ice were stored before the advent of refrigeration.

My favorite seat at the hotel’s elegant restaurant—which has since debuted an intimate dining room headlined by Argentine chef Paulo Airaudo—was under the canopied terrace beside the garden. But come aperitivo hour, the place to be was at one of the umbrella-shaded tables on the canal-side walkway fronting Palazzo dei Dogi, where, cocktail in hand, I could watch gondoliers from the neighboring rowing school instruct youngsters in one of the city’s most timeless traditions.

nh-collection.com; from US$400 a night.

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2025 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Initial Reaction”). Buy a single issue or subscribe here.

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