IHG Hotels and Resorts has signed its first hotel in Italy to its Garner brand. An existing property in Rome will convert to the brand, relaunching the former Smooth Hotel as Garner Hotel Rome Aurelia.
The 58 room property belongs to hotel company Pacini Group, and underwent a complete renovation that was completed in January 2025. Located to the west of the city centre, the property is convenient for travellers wishing to reach Fiumicino airport, or find a place to base themselves when planning a visit to Rome’s many historic attractions.
A conversion-focused brand
Garner is a midscale brand launched in 2023 as IHG’s nineteenth brand in its growing portfolio. It was designed with a flexibility in style that will specifically support existing properties wishing to convert without substantial costs, to join the IHG global marketing and distribution system. There are already almost 90 Garner hotels around the world.
“With business and leisure traveller interest in Rome continuing to grow, the demand for quality accommodation at a good price point is on the rise,” said Emidio Pacini, CEO of the Pacini Group. “We are excited to meet this growing demand with Garner Hotel Rome Aurelia and to offer a compelling alternative in the midscale segment in the city.”
Pacini is a broad based real estate advisory group, and operates a number of hotels across Italy, including The Pantheon and The Goethe in Rome, and the Venice Times hotel. It also operates its Utica Suites aparthotel brand at locations in Rome and Milan.
In Italy, IHG currently has 30 hotels open, with a strong presence for its luxury and lifestyle brands with InterContinental, Six Senses, Hotel Indigo and Voco represented alongside its more established Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn family brands. “Introducing Garner hotels to Italy is a great milestone for our growth in this market as we look to strategically grow across all brand segments,” commented Willemijn Geels, vice president of development, Europe.
The group has 10 more pipeline hotels across the country including three for its luxury Six Senses brand. Six Senses Milan will be first to open, before the end of 2025, with a 68 room hotel featuring a tranquil internal courtyard, plus two plunge pools as part of an extensive spa offering.
Repurposing historic landmarks
In Antognolla, conversion of a historic castle is under way, creating a 71 room luxury hotel that will open in early 2026. And overlooking Lake Como, a complete restoration of the Grand Hotel Cadenabbia will deliver yet another destination Six Senses hotel, complete with all the luxury touches the brand is known for.
Also in the works are a Kimpton hotel in Sicily, and a Holiday Inn in Modena. In Trieste’s Palazzo Kalister, conversion work is under way to create a Hotel Indigo from a nineteenth century palace. And later this year, another hotel will open in Rome, with the launch of the 81 room Hotel Alexandra as another of the properties in IHG’s growing Vignette Collection.
