Hotel Santa Rosa & Serenity Spa, Amalfi Coast Italy

Imagine a 17th C convent perched high on the edge of the famously picturesque Amalfi Coast tastefully transformed into an exclusive luxury hotel with a Spa that fully evokes the building’s character – this is Hotel Santa Rosa

Spa Project Overview

Currently undergoing its transformation the Hotel Santa Rosa & Serenity Spa’s concept & scheme has been agreed and work is progressing on forming the Spa’s walls, floors & openings. A small luxury hotel within a 17th century convent already conjures up precisely the aura of this property – moreover, the location is both beautiful & breathtaking, located high above the calm deep blue sea, a refreshing mix of fragrances formed by the local flora, lemon trees & sea fill the senses. Hotel Santa Rosa is only 1 hour from the original Spa at Pompeii, with gorgeous views both up and down the Amalfi Coast - this will be an exceptional Spa & Hotel. .

Objective

From the outset the owner called for the Spa to be different, unique, without being influenced by a pre-determined formulae or brand that would stamp their image on the Spa and ‘smoke-screen’ the unique integrity of the Santa Rosa’s character. Howard Consulting’s independent approach, adeptness in adapting spa concepts to their surroundings and on-going work with premier hotels fitted well with the owner’s requirements & philosophy.

Constraints

Two major constraints have challenged us throughout the project’s life. Firstly, any change to a prominent historical building will not easily be passed by planning & building regulatory authorities anywhere – however the Amalfi Coast is an UNESCO protected environment adding further restrictions on any construction on the coast maintaining the integrity of this beautiful coastline. This is no bad thing, as the Amalfi Coast remains as beautiful as it is today because of these restrictions. Secondly, the challenge was to make the constraints of the existing formed spaces work for us rather than against us – we have had to find a way to make the most out of the interesting spaces, change of levels and textures within the building choosing carefully appropriate spa experiences and bespoking them to fit the theme & spaces within the building.

Achievements

We are very excited by the way Howard Consulting working with Goff Associates have developed this particular spa concept, layouts and interior concepts. Hotel Santa Rosa & Serenity Spa will not only be THE best spa hotel on the Amalfi Coast, but also very different, full of character and atmosphere – we anticipate the Tepidarium will be a justifiable signature photo. It is also surprising how what appears to be a building constraint due to the presence of existing structure actually inspires a better design than a blank piece of paper will sometimes provide.

Client Satisfaction

‘Howard Consulting was introduced to the Santa Rosa Hotel project by a design firm that was initially engaged to create a luxury hotel/spa in this 17th Century convent on the Amalfi coast. Although the hotel design responsibility fell into other hands, we continued to work with Howard Consulting because of Neil’s consistent understanding of the client’s vision and his ability to continue to see the jewel that will someday happen….also demonstrating Neil’s tremendous patience. However, Neil’s greatest asset to this project has been his attention to detail and his very detailed documentation in the form of reports, options, budgets, and equipment lists. Net/net, Neil sees to it that his client gets all the information necessary to make the best informed decision, and he also does his best to make other vendors provide the same. We look very forward to making this Spa the best on the Amalfi coast with Neil’s competent guidance.’