The Grand Hotel Et des Palmes is located in the heart of Palermo, a few steps from the historic center and all the major attractions of the city such as the famous Teatro Massimo and the Politeama Garibaldi. Housed in an elegant nineteenth century building and equipped with all modern comforts, it is designed to guarantee a stay with a unique charm, with restaurants, bars and banqueting hall that can host any type of private or professional event.
Grand Hotel Et des Palmes History
The Grand Hotel Et des Palmes is a historic hotel in Palermo, centrally located in Via Roma, in the commercial heart of the city. Built at the behest of the aristocratic family Ingham - Whitaker in 1874 it was used in the early years as a private residence. Initially the building consisted of a low two-story block with an exotic winter garden that reached the sea.
It was at the end of the nineteenth century that the house was bought by Cavalier Enrico Ragusa who, in 1907, commissioned the architect Ernesto Basile, one of the great masters of Art Nouveau to transform Palazzo Ingham into the Grande Albergo delle Palme making it a hotel of luxury symbol of the Belle Époque.
There are numerous events that over the years have passed through the elegant rooms of the hotel and the famous people who stayed here. Among these we find the German composer Richard Wagner, who in 1881 lodged on the first floor and here ended the score of his "Parsifal", the French surrealist writer Raymond Russel, the Uruguayan journalist and philosopher Camilo Josè Enrique Rodò Pineyro.
During the Second World War, Lt. Col. Charles Poletti (later governor of New York and Mayor of Palermo) with General George Smith Patton, who transformed the Grand Hotel into their headquarters, entered the city on 22 July 1943. Years later, in 1957, in the rooms of the Grand Hotel the last summit was held between the leaders of Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the bosses of the American mafia, thus giving birth to the Italian-American "Cupola".
A treasure trove of anecdotes and history, even today the Grand Hotel Et des Palmes exudes from its walls the same charm of the past, combining the modern comforts and services of an excellent accommodation facility: rooms divided between Classic, Superior and Deluxe and Junior and Senior Suites are furnished in an elegant and sober style, decorated with wooden furniture, spacious and comfortable to ensure a pleasant and relaxing stay.
There are three restaurants in the structure and three bars where you can sip refreshing drinks, as well as numerous rooms to host in great style meetings, wedding receptions, banquets and any type of private or professional event making it unforgettable, thanks to the advice of a expert staff that will help to organize every detail.