FLORENCE – The Student Hotel in Florence will open its doors today. And to get to know the new life of the Palazzo del Sonno, in front of the Fortezza da Basso, the Dutch giant founded by Charlie MacGregor will give life to a ‘bed talks’. An idea, revised and updated, which is inspired by the intuition that in 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono had, the ‘bed-in’ for peace against the war in Vietnam made in room 702 of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel.
Called “Firenze Lavagnini”, it will be the first structure to open in Italy (followed by Bologna in December and Rome in 2020). “We’ve finished the exterior, we’re working on the interior” explains Frank Uffen, director of the Student Hotel partnership. “Ours is not just an hotel, but a square for the city” and for coworking: the ground floor, in fact will be public and there will be special areas for entrepreneurs or professionals who can have, by subscribing, a seat in our hotel.”
Within the 20,000 square meters of the Palazzo del Sonno there will be space for 390 rooms, but also a study area, library, gym, auditorium, places dedicated to start-ups, bar, restaurant and a rooftop pool overlooking the Duomo. The structure will be occupied “by 95 to 100 employees, some seasonal others indefinitely depending on the task performed,” Uffen points out.
For the ‘bed talks’ of the opening day – from 3 p.m., free admission once the online registration has been made – 100 people were selected. Fifty couples, on the bed and wearing red socks, who will compete for 45 minutes on a range of topics: ranging from culture, politics, the world of business to immigration.
