Italy expects 104 branded five-star hotels by 2029, says a study unveiled at AURA in Florence

Italy is set to welcome 104 branded five-star hotels between 2026 and 2029, adding 9,624 rooms. The figure comes from a Deloitte study presented at AURA, Florence’s first trade show dedicated to luxury hospitality and travel, held from 27 to 29 October 2026 at the Fortezza da Basso. Rome leads the way, and a night in an Italian luxury hotel is expected to cost €970 on average in 2027.

☰Contents

1. 104 branded five-star hotels due by 2029
2. Rome leads with 17 hotels and 1,673 rooms
3. €970 a night: what luxury will cost in 2027
4. Italy, the pick of over 80% of operators
5. Four Seasons, Aman, Bulgari: who exhibited?
6. From Rimini to Florence, AURA returns in 2027

104 branded five-star hotels due by 2029

Presented at AURA by Deloitte’s Benedetto Puglisi, the study counts 104 branded five-star hotel openings planned in Italy between 2026 and 2029, for 9,624 rooms. ‘Branded’ here means hotels affiliated with a hotel brand. Lombardy, the region of Milan and Lake Como, has the most projects (19 hotels), ahead of Lazio, the region around Rome (18), and Sicily (16).

The trend is spreading south: Sicily, Puglia and Sardinia account for a growing share of projects. The existing stock is already expanding: in 2025, Italy’s five-star supply grew by 4.9% in properties and 4.6% in rooms compared with 2024, the strongest growth in Europe according to the study. At this pace, Italy could have 1,000 five-star hotels by 2030.

Rome leads with 17 hotels and 1,673 rooms

Rome is well ahead with 17 hotels and 1,673 rooms in the pipeline. Milan comes next by number of hotels (11), but Venice and Taormina beat it on rooms: 971 across eight hotels in Venice, and 896 across just five hotels in Taormina, Sicily.

A few recent or announced openings show the scale of the trend: the Thompson Rome hotel, which opened 69 rooms in the former headquarters of the Italian Communist Party, the Rosewood Milan, due in 2027 near Via Montenapoleone, and the Raffles Lake Como, which will open in 2027 in Moltrasio, on Lake Como.

€970 a night: what luxury will cost in 2027

The average price of a night in Italian luxury hotels was €780 in 2025. The study expects it to reach €877 in 2026, then €970 in 2027, and as much as €1,227 in the most upmarket segments.

Demand is keeping pace: occupancy, currently between 68% and 71%, is expected to reach 72% to 75% in 2027. Italian luxury hotels should therefore fill more of their rooms while selling them at higher prices.

Italy, the pick of over 80% of operators

Asked where they would prefer to invest in luxury hospitality over the next three years, more than 80% of operators in the sector named Italy, far ahead of Spain (10%) and Greece (4%). As the favourite luxury destination in Europe, Italy took 59% of responses, ahead of Greece (11%), Portugal (10%) and Spain (9%). More than 40% of operators believe luxury will drive hotel investment over the next three years.

The country now has 771 five-star hotels, second in Europe behind Greece (835), and 47,782 luxury rooms, or 2% of its hotel supply. Lazio has 109 of them, ahead of Tuscany (94), in second place, and Veneto (79). The study also flags obstacles: a lack of suitable properties, red tape, no tax incentives, labour costs and a shortage of skilled staff.

Four Seasons, Aman, Bulgari: who exhibited?

Open to trade only, AURA brought together more than 100 Italian hoteliers and 100 international buyers, luxury travel agencies and advisers, for over 12 hours of scheduled meetings. Exhibitors included Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Villa d’Este, Aman Venice, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental, Forte Village, W Florence, Lungarno Collection and Starhotels Collection.

A panel brought together Armani Hotels & Resorts and Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, represented by Alex Dallocchio and Claudia Polloni, to discuss hotels linked to fashion houses. According to the organiser’s annual barometer, 39% of international buyers rank them among the most requested experiences.

From Rimini to Florence, AURA returns in 2027

AURA is organised by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) under its TTG Travel Experience brand. It succeeds the Luxury Event by TTG, previously held in Rimini, and has moved to Florence with the backing of the Tuscany Region, the City of Florence and Confindustria Alberghi, which represents Italian hoteliers.

The show was opened on 27 October by Leonardo Marras (Tuscany Region), Jacopo Vicini (City of Florence) and Maurizio Ermeti, chairman of IEG, who champions a selective format ‘where the quality of relationships matters more than big numbers’. The programme also featured visits to Florentine fashion, art and craft workshops, tastings of Tuscan produce, and evenings at Palazzo Gondi, a 14th-century palace, and at the Serre Torrigiani.

The second edition is already scheduled for 26 to 28 October 2027.