Accor has opened its first Orient Express hotel, the Orient Express La Minerva in Rome.
The property, which began welcoming guests on April 7, is located in the city's Pantheon district at the Piazza de la Minerva.
Housed within a restored 17th-century palazzo, the hotel has 129 rooms, 36 of which are suites. The property features numerous nods to the Orient Express brand's railway legacy, including design elements like bedside trunks, train carriage-inspired wood detailing and Rivolta Carmignani bedding similar to what was on the original Orient Express sleeper cars.
The hotel will be home to three dining venues, with La Minerva Bar in the lobby currently open. Rooftop eatery Gigi Rigolatto is scheduled to debut in May and Japanese restaurant Mimi Kakushi is set to join later this year.
The Orient Express La Minerva also has five meeting and event spaces, including its 1,776-square-foot Olimpo Ballroom.
A suite bedroom at the Orient Express La Minerva. Photo Credit: Alexandre Tabaste
The Orient Express Palazzo Dona Giovannelli in Venice is expected to open later this year. A project in Riyadh is in the pipeline.
Accor is concurrently expanding Orient Express in luxury rail travel and cruising. It recently launched La Dolce Vita Orient Express train and unveiled details for the first Orient Express Silenseas cruise ship in 2026.
Accor announced plans for a new hotel concept under the Orient Express name in 2017, after it acquired a 50% stake in the brand from French national rail company SNCF Group. Accor took full ownership of the brand in 2022, with luxury conglomerate LVMH forging a strategic partnership with Accor to accelerate development of Orient Express in 2024.
LVMH is the owner of Belmond, which operates the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and several other luxury trains, as well as a hotel portfolio that was rebranded from Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. in 2014 when its SNCF licensing agreement ended.