Rome, controversy over luxury hotel Bill Gates plans a stone's throw from St. Peter's

Controversy in the Vatican over the possibility of American tycoon Bill Gates opening a hotel within walking distance of St. Peter’s Basilica. The background of the story was revealed a few days ago by Corriere della Sera: according to the Milanese newspaper, the Four Seasons group, the famous chain of luxury hotels 75% owned by the founder of Microsoft, would be awarded (although for now the news is unofficial) the management, put out to tender by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, of the Renaissance Palazzo della Rovere (or Palazzo dei Penitenzieri, an austere Renaissance building that stands on Via della Conciliazione, about 300 meters from St. Peter’s, and today the headquarters of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which owns the property.

It should be specified that a hotel in the Palazzo della Rovere (which is, moreover, listed, and still preserves Renaissance frescoes) would not be a novelty: until 2018, in fact, part of the building was occupied by the historic Hotel Columbus, which closed that year due to the non-renewal of the lease. The premises had therefore remained empty, and the Order decided to call for a tender to entrust its management. So at the end of 2020, reports the Courier, the Order “had put out a public tender to give the management of the property to a major hotel chain, an international brand capable of guaranteeing robust revenues, useful to support missions on behalf of Christians in the Holy Land, without contravening the lines of morality in the care of earthly goods that Pope Bergoglio never tires of repeating.” In fact, the tender specified that the hotel could be at most a “4-star superior”: thus no luxury, no ostentation, to avoid “the jarring images of billionaires strolling a little further on, returning from a sumptuous dinner or an invigorating sauna, under the porticos crowded with clochards in the final stretch of Via della Conciliazione or at the exit of the soup kitchen, behind the Bernini colonnade.”

The Order received as many as 60 expressions of interest, then skimmed down to 10, so in the summer of 2021 the contenders remained three (Four Seasons, Blastness/Ripetta and Omnia/Lazzarini), excluding famous chains such as Hilton and Marriott. Bill Gates emerged as the winner for the bid deemed most advantageous. Controversy arose over the profile the hotel will have: the Four Seasons at the Palace of the Penitentiaries, according to the plan, will have 64 rooms, plus 11 suites and 2 super-suites. Plus there will be two starred restaurants, a spa, a gymnasium, and underground parking. Costs? Starting at 490 euros per night, not exactly an affordable hotel. And now there are those who promise battle, such as the Centurion Hotel chain, which announces appeals: “The Vatican needs everything but new scandals,” Giovanni Gomiero, head of the Development Sector for the Italy and Mediterranean area, told Corriere. “However, in this case it is difficult to ignore what happened. They were also not very smart. They could have not called the tender and gone to direct award, but once you call the tender you can’t trample on the rules: the Four Seasons as it is known operates in the 5-star luxury sector, not below, as provided for in the tender. It also did not formally participate in the tender, having been included later. And finally, it seems that it did not accept the specifications that we all signed.” Centurion, in addition to appealing, will also consider a class action and a complaint to the Vatican Gendarmerie, which also has homologous functions to those of the Guardia di Finanza.

Four Seasons, for its part, merely let it be known, “We are continuing preliminary negotiations for the lease and management of a portion of the Palazzo della Rovere for hotel use. Should these agreements be finalized, Four Seasons will act as hotel manager on behalf of Fort Partners and the Order of the Holy Sepulcher with the goal of creating an experience based on quality, service and care.” However, in the letter that the hotel chain, which was disappointed by the news leaked by The Courier, sent to the same newspaper, there are no references to what the hotel will look like.

The Order of the Holy Sepulcher itself, however, would seem to have taken issue with Bill Gates’ plans. The Corriere reports of strong discontent among the prelates closest to Pope Francis, and especially reports that the Order’s legal adviser, lawyer Giovanni Merla, sent the Order’s governor, Leonardo Visconti di Modrone, and deputy Jean-Pierre Marie de Glutz-Ruchti, a letter with the findings of the meeting between the Order itself and Four Seasons held last April 21. Among the elements objected to by the lawyer was the “lack of any documentation whatsoever” of the parties involved (and thus the lack of par condicio since the other companies that participated in the tender provided public documentation: a deadline of 25 days was therefore set for a due diligence on the group), and consequently the “disgraceful fact [.... that the Order continues to deal with people who have not qualified,” and then again the fact that Four Seasons decided to have a third company sign the contract because “in case of divestment” or other problems “the Order would not be able to retaliate.” Also disputed is the “non-economic sustainability of the operation,” since the costs of the Four Seasons project “require it to be a luxury 5-star hotel, with rooms from a minimum of 1,000 up to 2-3,000 euros per night.” The priority, however, remains to avoid legal entanglements.

Pictured, Via della Conciliazione: Palazzo della Rovere is the first on the left. Photo Wikimedia/Trolvag

Rome, controversy over luxury hotel Bill Gates plans a stone's throw from St. Peter's

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