- 🎬 Robert De Niro co-founded Nobu with chef Nobu Matsuhisa and producer Meir Teper · a New York restaurant turned global hotel brand.
- 🏨 The group comprises 46 hotels, 57 restaurants and 20 residences worldwide (by late 2025).
- 🇮🇹 A Nobu Hotel Roma opened in late 2025, and Europe is accelerating: Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
- 🏝️ Coming soon: the Nobu Beach Inn in Barbuda (36 rooms, late 2026), the Maldives (Laamu Atoll) and a debut in Egypt.
From a TriBeCa Restaurant to a Global Hotel Brand
The story began in 1994 in New York, when Robert De Niro convinced Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa to open a restaurant with him and producer Meir Teper in his TriBeCa neighbourhood. Matsuhisa’s Nikkei cuisine, blending Japanese and Peruvian influences, became one of the most sought-after dining experiences on the planet, filling rooms with celebrities and spawning locations from London to Malibu.
The hospitality pivot came in 2013 with the first Nobu Hotel, nestled within Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The gamble: to translate the restaurant experience into an overnight stay · Japanese minimalism, dark woods, discreet service and room service curated by Matsuhisa.
46 Hotels and Growth That Shows No Sign of Slowing
A decade later, the gamble has paid off. Nobu Hospitality now boasts 46 hotels, 57 restaurants and 20 branded residences across the globe. In late 2025, the brand opened its Rome property, inaugurated by De Niro and Matsuhisa in person. Key destinations include:
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel Roma · the latest addition, opened in late 2025 on Via Veneto
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel London Portman Square · the brand’s London anchor
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel Marbella · coastal Andalusia with a Nikkei twist
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel Barcelona · a tower offering panoramic views of the city
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel Marrakech · riads, a spa and fusion cuisine in Morocco
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel Chicago · West Loop spirit, situated above the restaurant
- 🏨 Nobu Hotel Miami Beach · coastal living on Collins Avenue
- 🏨 All Nobu Destinations · the complete collection, continent by continent
The Pipeline: Caribbean, Maldives, Egypt
The next chapter is already being written. In the Caribbean, the Nobu Beach Inn in Barbuda, an intimate 36-room property, is scheduled for completion in late 2026 within the island’s Beach Club, famous for its pink sand. In the Maldives, a Nobu Hotel with residences and a restaurant has been announced for the Laamu Atoll. In Egypt, a partnership with developer SODIC paves the way for the country’s first generation of Nobu hotels and residences. In Europe, projects are moving forward in Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The De Niro Formula: Star Behind the Scenes, Brand in the Spotlight
Unlike other celebrities who merely lend their names, De Niro is a long-standing hospitality entrepreneur · he also co-founded New York’s Greenwich Hotel. At Nobu, the star’s name is not on the sign: it is the cuisine and Japanese aesthetic that carry the brand, which is undoubtedly the key to its longevity. It is a model that inspires today’s new generation of hotelier stars, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Pharrell Williams.
Cover photo: Robert De Niro. © David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Photos: © Nobu Hospitality.
