The Munich-based hotel brand Ruby Hotels is set to debut in Italy in 2023 with a hotel in Florence.
The 118-room hotel will occupy a 19th century building on the Piazza della Liberta in the northern part of the historic city centre, located close to the old town district of San Marco and a ten-minute walk from the Palazzo Medici Riccardi and the Fortezza da Basso.
The Italian hotel will also feature a 300 sqm Ruby Workspace, a bar and café, and a terrace in the inner courtyard.
The hotel will include typical Florentine arcades on the ground floor, and will be renovated by Florentine architects Genius Loci Architettura, with interior design by Ruby’s design team led by Matthew Balon. The building is owned by the GB Holding Group, who will also contribute towards the refurbishments.
Julian Mörs, Group Director Development at Ruby, commented on the opening:
“We are very excited to enter the Italian market with this great project and bring our Lean Luxury philosophy to Southern Europe. By designing and building modularly, centralising more and automating consistently behind the scenes, we are making luxurious and unique hotel experiences affordable for our guests, while creating a leaner and more adaptable cost structure, which in turn means lower risks for our property partners. Benefits like these set us apart from other competitors and support our development activities, especially in unpredictable times.”
The Ruby describes itself as a “lean luxury” brand that offers an affordable price by “consistently dispensing with superfluous and non-essential items.”
This marks the sixth European country into which Ruby is expanding, following launches in Austria, Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Ireland.
Ruby Hotels was founded in 2013 and the group currently operates eight hotels across Europe, with a further 17 under construction or in the planning phase. The brand recently opened its third hotel in Dusseldorf, and also announced plans for its fourth property in London.
