The Castagnetti family: three generations and a hotel for over 60 years in Genoa
The BW Plus City Hotel has passed 60 years of activity in Genoa. A story that begins in the early years of the last century. Erineo Castagnetti, son of sharecroppers from the lower Piedmontese Langa, emigrated to Turkey to work in Constantinople. Thanks to his enterprising spirit, he quickly became room manager of the prestigious Pera Palace Hotel, which is still active today.
Back in Italy he married Delfina Bertola and opened two hotels in Savona with her: the Hotel Italia and the Hotel Riviera. Following the birth of his son Francesco, thanks to his great entrepreneurial spirit, Erineo decided to take over numerous hotels on the Ligurian Riviera, which was then experiencing its golden age thanks to the international clientele of Germany and the United Kingdom.
The story of the Palace Hotel in Spotorno is fascinating. During World War II the hotel was requisitioned by the German occupation forces as a residence for the high command and which has now been converted into a luxurious residence. After the conflict, the hotel was the site of the first Miss Italy contest, and here Francesco met Livia Pregliasco, a fifteen-year-old Piedmontese from Saliceto who came to serve at the bar of the prestigious five-star hotel.
The family then moved to Genoa and opened the Hotel Duomo in quick succession, next to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, and the City Hotel, housed in a building rebuilt after the war.
Those were the years of reconstruction, the economic boom and tourism of the former emigrants to America, which the ships of the Compagnia Italia poured to Genoa to rediscover the continent left by their parents. Genoa was a rich port city and primary tourist destination: thousands of guests came to the City in those years, and the hotel was among the first in the city to equip all rooms with private bathrooms.
Meanwhile, the son of Francesco and Livia was born, Gianfranco, who then found himself facing the difficult years of economic stagnation and the slow decline of the city.
A complete reconversion, the entry into the Best Western hotel group and an organization of a modern business with managerial management, have allowed the hotel to maintain and consolidate a prominent position in the Genoa hotel scene.
The Castagnetti family has also started the activity of other 3 structures, 2 of which in the center of Genoa (Best Western Porto Antico*** and Hotel Nologo**) and one in Camogli in the splendid Ligurian Riviera (Sublimis Boutique Hotel Camogli****) confirming his passion for hospitality extended to every level and expanding the range of offers to satisfy every type of need.