Although Guido Fiorentino, president and CEO of the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, grew up in his family’s hotel in Sorrento, he didn’t think he’d eventually run the property.
Fiorentino’s father pushed him and his brothers to work elsewhere. “Our family was big. The feeling was like, don’t think that one day you will do it, because maybe it will be someone else in the family,” Fiorentino said.
He worked for a year in another hotel the family previously owned in Naples, then for a time in the leather-goods business owned by his maternal grandfather. Most of his career was spent working at Meridian VAT Italia srl, a company that helps businesses reclaim VAT taxes. That put him in contact with multinational firms like Google and Microsoft, giving him insight on part of their operations.
Contributed by Debbie Carlson
Yet hospitality wasn’t out of his blood. In 1999, he joined the hotel’s board of directors, and in 2010 he became the fifth-generation Fiorentino to run the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. The hotel, overlooking the Bay of Naples on the Amalfi coast and once a stop on the Gilded Age’s European Grand Tour, is celebrating its 185th year.
To mark the milestone, Fiorentino said he’s looking at the past and the future. “It’s a time to pause and reflect and to say thank you. Thank you to my father, to our staff, to our regular guests. Everyone has been instrumental in building the spirit of the Excelsior Vittoria,” he said.
The hotel has been a luxury mainstay for nearly two centuries, hosting guests including Richard Wagner, Oscar Wilde and Sophia Loren. The hotel has three buildings – the newest is from 1881 – with 82 rooms and one three-bedroom apartment that is its own building. Prices in high season range from 600 euros to 3,600 euros, plus VAT.
Just as his ancestors did, he focuses on personalized service. Fiorentino recalled how his father would mention the wife of a regular guest loved the hotel’s tiramisu, so his father ensured she would have a tiramisu welcome cake upon arrival. Yet he has modernized some traditions to reflect clientele’s new needs and wants.
In the past the hotel catered primarily to staying guests, but Fiorentino has opened amenities, encouraging locals and non-guests to enjoy the hotel’s bar and Michelin-starred restaurant, Terrazza Bosquet. This mix of visitors has helped to make the Excelsior Vittoria Sorrento’s social hub, he said, adding he also opens up attendance for guests and non-guests to the hotel’s four summer fundraiser dinners for Make a Wish Italy Onlus.
The hotel’s design retains a classic Italian look and feel. In attempt to attract younger clients he had experimented with more modern room designs, but those rooms saw lower demand, he said. What attracts the new generation is modern luxury service: being less formal, more friendly, but still very attentive.
Technology is important, Fiorentino said. The hotel was completely rewired so Wi-Fi access is available throughout the property and is able to penetrate the building’s thick walls. There are charging stations for Tesla, BMW and Porsche electric vehicles. Because of the hotel’s historic significance, technology upgrades and renovations must be undertaken with care; major changes to the property must be approved by Italian archeology officials.
As a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and with Fiorentino serving on their executive board, the Excelsior Vittoria gets the benefit of networking, marketing and keeping abreast of industry changes, he said. Like most modern hotels, guests can book online and they recently added a chat feature to the website, although many still call for personalized service. He continues to receive a few mailed, handwritten requests for accommodation.
“I can count on one hand the letters we get, but it is very charming. These are very old guests, and we like to reply by letter,” Fiorentino said.
Fiorentino, who is 58, is grooming a sixth generation to eventually operate the hotel. Both of his sons are learning the industry. Although he gets inquiries to sell or become part of a larger chain, he’s not interested.
“They are evaluated and rejected. We are passionate about what we do and we love it,” Fiorentino said.
