“The Saints”, owner of the former Enel buildingready to present a project to transform the structure into 4 star Superior hotel in front of the San Domenico museums.
The company “The Saints”, recently founded by a group of entrepreneurs from Forlì active in various sectors including catering and hospitality, acquired the former Enel building in Forlì in Piazza Guido da Montefeltro from the Nucleos fund in January 2023, after a very long negotiation.
After having commissioned TradeMark Italia, a company specialized in the feasibility study of significant investments in the tourism sector, having evaluated their report – which highlights a strong demand for hotels in the city – and having met other investors interested in the development of the operation, the company has decided to present a preliminary project to the municipal administration for the recovery of the abandoned building and the construction of a prestigious hotel serving the city, therefore focusing both on the local business sector, on the qualitative development of the airport and of course on the income deriving from the important boost of the cultural offer proposed in recent years by the Municipality and the Foundation.
“A higher standard hotel is needed”
“We took the time necessary to carefully evaluate the type of investment to be made and, although interesting proposals had arrived from other investors to create a student residence, in the end we decided, also following the idea of the partner who first launched the project initiative, to create a superior level hotel which, in our opinion, is absolutely necessary in the center of Forlì” Franco Sassi, relative majority shareholder of “The Saints” and president of the company’s board of directors, well-known entrepreneur in the special construction sector (Technologica) as well as provincial president of Ance. “I must thank the administration because in the discussions held so far the mayor has always intelligently supported the hotel option to strengthen the tourist offer, naturally leaving the final choice to us entrepreneurs. Moreover, a student residence in the former City Hotel is already in the works.”
“When the operation was proposed to me – continues Sassi – I immediately agreed with enthusiasm because the renovation of the former Enel building is the last piece to bring that historical part of Forlì back to the decorum it deserves; the fact that in the corporate structure there were friendly people already operating in the tourism sector with clear ideas led me to commit myself strongly to the recovery of the building. We are convinced that tourism in Forlì will grow a lot in the coming years, in addition to being a cultural and business destination, we have strong forecasts of an increase in incoming towards the hinterland and Forlì can become the gateway to sports, food and wine and nature tourism” .
In the corporate companies and in the board of directors which should soon include other local entrepreneurs, he is also there Davide Gabrielli, another young entrepreneur in the special construction materials sector (Draco) very well known in the city also for his commitment to associations and social issues, equally enthusiastic about the idea proposed at the time by one of the members “In the center of Forlì, without detracting from the offer already present, there is a lack of a high-level hotel that can be a point of reference for the business segment which gravitates around the territory and for those looking for an international standard offer.” explains Gabrielli “For this reason, despite the attractive proposals received from investment funds, we are happy to continue with what was the initial project”
Almost 60 rooms and 8 suites
Gabrielli is uncompromising regarding the implementation times and style of the project. “As regards the timing, we will begin formal discussions with the Municipal Administration as soon as the renewal of the Council and the Executive Committee is completed; regarding the style of the project, at the moment there are a couple of interesting ideas on the table which will also have to be evaluated with the Superintendence. However, we are talking about almost 60 designer rooms, including 8 suites and a roof top with city view. As for the restaurant, the Osteria Don Abbondio is already part of the corporate structure of The Saints, therefore the idea is to integrate the same historic inn – which boasts a high-end clientele – into the hotel’s Superior offer, alongside an American Bar open until late in the evening. Certainly – concludes Gabrielli – since my job is to develop new proposals for quality construction, the project will be highly innovative and eco-compatible in every respect. What is not trivial and obvious, exclusively local companies will work on the project”
