Fans are going wild over Challengers director Luca Guadagnino’s latest project — and it’s not a movie

Fans of Challengers director Luca Guadagnino are thrilled with his latest project: a luxury hotel in Rome.

The Italian film maestro – responsible for a number of hit films, including Zendaya’s Call My By Your Name and I Am Love – spent two years renovating a 16th-century college that had fallen into disrepair.

Through his eponymous design studio, Luca helped develop various parts of Talìa Palacegiving the spaces a cinematic quality, with historical elements complemented by modern, elegant accents.

He talked about his thinking behind the aesthetics of the hotel: FT.com: ‘When you come to Rome, to a hotel like this, you want to spread yourself in beauty, comfort and softness. So for me everything is [color, light, texture] necessary to radiate that pleasure.

‘The aesthetic is maximalist, but with the rigor, let’s say, of minimalism. Because if you apply minimalism per se, you lose the thread of pleasure.’

Fans of Challengers director Luca Guadagnino are raving about his latest project: a luxury hotel in Rome

The Italian film mastermind – who is behind a number of films including Challengers – spent two years working on a project to renovate a former university that had fallen into disrepair

Prices at the boutique hotel start at more than $670 per night for a superior room, while the top-of-the-range two-bedroom Talia Suite starts at more than $18,000.

There are just 26 rooms in the property, spread over two floors. Luca said he wanted the place to have an “intimate” and welcoming feel rather than being “exclusive”.

His design studio was responsible for all of the hotel’s communal areas, including the grand lobby and the opulent Il Bar della Musa, with its frescoed ceilings and gleaming metallic wall tiles.

Since its opening, fans of Luca and his films have welcomed Palazzo Talìa with enthusiasm and cheered his foray into the hospitality sector.

An X user wrote: ‘When I die, I will be buried in the Italian palace hotel in Rome that Luca Guadagnino had built.’

Another mused, “I want to see all the rooms, they all look so beautiful.”

Travel experts on TikTok have also called the palatial property “literally magical” and “perfect.”

Travel journalist Marissa Klurstein had the privilege of staying at the location during its soft launch and called it “the best hotel in Rome.” It’s also the first 10-out-of-10 hotel she’s ever stayed at.

Since its opening, fans of Luca and his films have given Palazzo Talìa a big thumbs up and applauded his foray into the hospitality sector

Travel journalist Marissa Klurstein had the privilege of staying at the venue during the soft launch and called it ‘the best hotel in Rome’

In a TikTok details During her stay, she said, “I can’t even describe the feeling I had when I turned the corner and saw this.

‘The interior really makes you feel like you’re living on a Luca Guadagnino film set. Many hotels in Rome are luxury hotels, but they lack personality and soul.

‘Not here, personality is welcome, you feel completely at home at the bar.

‘I think these are the most epic hotel bars I’ve ever been to. It’s a masterpiece.

‘And also fantastic cocktails, great soundtrack… it really feels like you’re in a jewel box, somewhere between the 17th century and now.’

Marissa continues her review, for which she says she was not paid: ‘The craftsmanship is impeccable, the mix of textures and colors.’

During her stay, the content creator also visited the hotel’s Tramae Restaurant, where she says she had the best spaghetti carbonara she’d ever tasted in Rome.

As for the hotel’s bedrooms, the interior was designed by Mia Home Design Gallery and Laura Feroldi Studio

Like Luca’s design agency, the designers responsible for the rooms opted for a stylish mix of old and new

The hotel, which ceased operating as a college in 1999, is now owned by the Federici family

Breakfast also received top marks, with Marissa praising the ‘soft scrambled eggs with chives’ and the ‘perfectly crispy bacon’, among other things.

Aside from the hotel, Marissa praised the staff, who she said were hired “for their personalities.” [and] They are encouraged to be themselves.’

That’s why she says: ‘The service is fantastic, really the best there is, so intuitive, so human and with personality.’

The hotel’s rooms are designed under the supervision of Mia Home Design Gallery and Laura Feroldi Studio.

Like Luca’s design agency, the duo opted for a stylish mix of old and new.

Marissa says the rooms tick all the boxes, from “two sizes of very soft slippers” to two types of pillows to choose from: down and a down alternative.

In addition to a bar and restaurant, the hotel has an underground spa and a green courtyard.

The hotel, which has not been a college since 1999, is now owned by the Federici family. Elia Federici told FT.com that he was introduced to Luca Guadagnino by a mutual friend.

“I thought he could do an unconventional design for a place full of history and art,” he said of his decision to choose the filmmaker as designer.

Luca founded his own design studio in 2017, which has since been responsible for three of his own properties, as well as several private and luxury commercial commissions.