Inside the East Express La Minerva in Rome, the first train hotel

THE Orient Express Enter the hotel game.

The emblematic luxury train company, owned by the French brand of the hotel industry Lickjust opened its first hotel. Hosted in a 17 year old palazzo in the heart of RomeTHE Orient Express La Minerva Offer 93 rooms and 36 suites – each which is entirely unique in layout and size.

The Hotel address at Piazza della Minerva 69 – a gathering place for many creatives and travelers over the decades – it is a few steps from the Pantheon, as well as other benchmarks of the eternal city. To give life to the Palazzo, Orient Express typed the artist-architect Hugo Toro to add a contemporary escape instead while preserving its Roman roots. The combination can be seen when you enter the hall of the tower, full of stoic columns, earthy shades, touches of greenery and floor coverings with vibrant patterns. The marble statue 1854 (by the Italian sculptor Rinaldo Rinaldi) of the homonym of the property, the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva.

Toro attracted the same attention to details in the rooms and the suites. Each accommodation pays tribute (rightly) to the golden age of the train trip, with details such as tailor -made bedside trunks and wooden details reflecting those found in Orient Express cars dotting each space. Even bedding, the luxury laundry of the Masters of Rivolta Carmignani, is the same as that found in the bed cars of the train. And, of course, each space, filled to the brim with different textures, has mild reminders that you are in the eternal city, for fear of forgetting: a motif by hand of the Roman sky is suspended above each bed. As for the consequences, we be called Stendhal, a French writer who often frequented the past iteration of the property.

There is not one but three restaurants to taste during your stay. In the hall, the Minerva Bar can be found under a glass roof, with original marble columns as a decor. The vigilant eye of this nearby Minerva marble statue could prevent you from overeating. Go to the roof to enjoy the 360-degree views on Gigi Rigolatto (opening in May), inspired by the Rivera; Rikas Hospitality Group and The Paris Society Brand helped launch the dynamic restaurant. Later this year, you can expect Mimi Kakushi, a Japanese place that brings guests back to Osaka from the 1920s with a hint of Western influences.

That's not all Orient Express has on the file. The brand opens another hotel; Called The Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, the property will make its debut in Venice later this year. Orient Express has also just launched its trip La Dolce Vita, which will take passengers in Tuscany aboard one of its locomotives. It looks like the company is then in a tour.

Click here to find out more about the first East Express hotel.