In the Spirit of Gio Ponti

In 1949, Roberto Fernandes commissioned architect Ferdinando Chiaromonte to design a progressive, design-focused hotel, equipped with all the essential comforts to welcome the modern traveler. 
For the interior design, the entrepreneur sought out Gio Ponti, drawn to his innovative vision and to an approach to interiors that was at once dynamic and refined.

The two quickly recognized a shared vision, and in 1953 Fernandes entrusted Ponti with the design and furnishing of the interiors of the Hotel Royal, as well as the design of the swimming pool and the hotel’s emblem.

The Royal project laid the foundations for a lasting personal and professional partnership between Roberto Fernandes and Gio Ponti—a collaboration that embodies the spirit of those years, the years of the economic boom, when Italy looked ahead, driven by a new entrepreneurial energy rooted in innovation and a culture of design: a creative nation, confidently moving toward modernity.