It was originally the home of the aristocratic Ingham-Withaker family...

Grand Hotel & Des Palmes was founded in 1874. Built in 1856, it was originally the home of the aristocratic Ingham-Withaker family and was linked by an underground passage to a nearby Anglican chapel. After the death of her first husband, Lady Ingham married Giacomo Medici, the Prefect of Palermo and a hero of the Risorgimento. The building was sold to Enrico Ragusa, a local entrepreneur who transformed it into a hotel. In 1907, Ernesto Basile, one of Italy’s foremost Art Nouveau architects, made alterations to the Foyer, one of Europe’s most attractive, and to the "Fireplace Saloon", where the ceiling, inlaid by English craftsmen, is similar to that of Palazzo Montecitorio, the Italian House of Deputies in Rome, also designed by Basile. The hotel has seen several important moments in the history of Sicily. In 1882, the future Prime Minister Francesco Crispi gave political lectures here, while the formidable twelve-course dinner served to another future premier. Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, is still remembered. Richard Wagner and his wife Cosima Liszt were guests from 5 November 1881, and the armchair where the great composer sat while he wrote his opera "Parsifal" is still conserved in the hotel. The Uruguayan essayist and philosopher Jose Enrique Rodo wrote his last pages during his stay here in 1917.

The hotel, situated at the heart of the ancient centre of the city, has welcomed many famous and powerful political figures, and momentous decisions influencing the destiny of Sicily have been taken here. In 1943 it was the headquarters of the Allied Forces in Italy, and General Charles Poletti made his official residence here.

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LOCATION

Grand Hotel & Des Palmes is located in Palermo’s historic centre, 800 metres from the port.

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PROPERTY AMENITIES

* Guests of the Grand Hotel et des Palmes enjoy a buffet breakfast each morning.

* La Palmetta:

Regional specialties are served a la carte alongside international cuisine under the grand chandeliers in the Liberty-style, wood-panelled dinning room.

* Il Gattopardo:

Guests can relax on red velvet-covered chairs while enjoying long drinks, cocktails and regional wines in the American bar.

* Guests can soak up the Sicilian sunshine while reclining on sun loungers on the rooftop sun terrace, perhaps with a drink or cocktail from the bar, and browse the daily papers next to the fireplace amid the marble, velvet, wood panelling and mirrors in the high-ceilinged lobby.

* The hotel can offer the maximum comfort for anything from 10 to 200 persons in its fully-equipped rooms of varying size.

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ROOM AMENITIES

* The hotel is furnished with 177 rooms and 6 prestigious suites. Every room has telephone with a direct line, colour TV, a mini-bar, radio, rediffusion, and adjustable air-conditioning.

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CANCELLATION POLICY

Please make a search for your dates to see the defined cancellation policy for that period.

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