54 - Seventy-one Years at The Saturnia

THE SATURNIA e INTERNAZIONALE, Venice

Veteran Venetian hotelier Ugo Serandrei with blogger (photo Andrea Scarpa)

     Ugo Serandrei was born at The Saturnia Hotel (room 20, to be exact) 71 years ago.   He has been there ever since.

Probably no city in the world is quite so choc full of hotels as Venice, and the Saturnia is one of the special ones.   Ugo's grandparents, fresh from their native Hungary, bought the hotel --at the time all eight rooms of it-- in 1909, and it is one of the rare Venetian hostelries to remain in the same family for over a century.   It has been transformed and enlarged over the years, now boasting 89 rooms.

« I never thought of doing anything else," Serandrei said recently.   « I have always worked here.  Starting when I was about 13 years old, in the most menial of jobs, I worked with my brother in the kitchen.  I was the one who took the orders from the waiters and relayed them to the cook. It was a start.”

View from the Saturnia's rooftop sun deck 

The Saturnia was one of the first hotels I discovered in the 1970's when I started coming regularly to the City of Doges.  I stayed there several times with Ann in the early days, later with others. 

Originally converted from what remained of a 14^th Century palace, it is located on one of the city's most elegant shopping streets leading off of Saint Marc's Square.  Sitting just behind La Fenice opera house, it has its own little canal for taxi and gondola deposits.

When Brenda and I planned our trip last October, we decided to stay at more than one hotel.  The Gritti was already on our calendar, and I opted for The Saturnia the first few days, for old times sake (see "Back to Venice and The Gritti").   I have always had pleasant memories here, and this last visit was no exception.

Our very spacious room 204

 

* * * * * * * * 

Ugo Serandrei is the opposite of an absentee landlord.  He is omnipresent, usually at his familiar desk, able to see and be seen by all the arriving and departing guests.  After over 50 years of running this Venetian landmark, he still comes to work seven days a week well before most of his clients have had their breakfast, and he is often still there when they come down for dinner in the evening.

“I spend many, many hours behind my desk here,” he said. “and I love it. I love it just as much today as when I started 50 years ago.”

 Three of Serandrei's children assist him (above), each sibling in charge of a different part of the hotel. 
 From left to right:  Gianni, next to his father, Kim and Greta-Zoe.   

As with the majority of properties in Venice, costs of maintaining even just the status quo --the non-stop job of protecting and preserving from the elements-- tend to be astronomical; and sometimes in a city where the price of real estate reaches unimaginable heights, the lure of an international chain might be hard to resist. I asked Serandrei if he ever thought of selling.

“Never!” he said, almost angry at the thought of such an unappealing idea.

“Many, many hotels in Venice have been sold little by little over the years to large companies. I have seen so many leave the hands of the original family.   It saddens me that they are all gone, all sold," he said.

“Of the important hotels, we are one of only two remaining family owned.  But we remain.  And as long as I am alive the Saturnia will never leave the family."

Andrea,  Lifting the Level ...

Andrea, The Saturnia's prize concierge

  

     Andrea Scarpa, the head concierge for the last 15 years, is possibly The Saturnia's most valuable asset.   He is one of those exceptional concierges who by virtue of his passion and talent for the metier, lifts the level of the hotel a notch or two.

«  He is very, very special, a wonderful concierge.  Ask him any question, he knows everything ! » said Serandrei.

A little like his boss, he likes to say he started at the bottom, though he calls it "the bottom of the top,” washing dishes at the Lido's premiere luxury hotel when he was 17 years old.

From there he climbed just about all the echelons in the hotel world –barman, waiter, night porter, accountant, finally concierge.

After reaching what seemed to be the pinnacle of his career, an important  boutique hotel offered him the plum job of managing director.   No sooner had he started preparing for this new executive job than he realized he had no desire to continue.  He soon left to return to his real love, that of concierge.

  “Management is quite particular.   It just isn't what attracts me in the hotel world.   I like to meet people, different people every day from all over the world.  I enjoy greeting Mister Pleasants and kissing the beautiful lady,” he said with a wink towards Brenda.

“It is the opposite of working in an office.   You have to speak all the languages (In addition to fluent French, Spanish and English, Andrea acquits himself impressively in Japanese as well).   And you must be able to do three things at once,” he explained, as he effortlessly answered the telephone, while simultaneously signalling for a bellboy and  collecting another guest's keys. 

“What I often ask myself is 'Why is Andrea still with the Saturnia when he could find higher paying positions with some of the finest hotels in the world,'” said owner Serandrei. “I just count my blessings that he chooses to remain with us.” 

 Your input is welcomed:  hotel-musings@hotmail.fr

[Photos are mine, unless otherwise credited]