Zacchera hotels: Success built on old roots
Tracing back the history of this family business means tracing back almost 150 years of Italian history. A successful case built on passion, determination and on a philosophy of hospitality that has been passed on for 4 generations
Almost one hundred and fifty years without perceiving them. We are talking about the Gruppo Zacchera Hotels, one of the symbols of hospitality on Lake Maggiore, but also a very unite family that, from father to son, passes on the passion and the secret of a hospitality that today is an authentic philosophy. Tracing back the relevant events of its history means going through a century and half of Italian history. The Group began in 1873. The Peninsula had been just united, when they put the foundations of the major tourism complex in Verbania, with a Grand Hotel in Stresa, the Bristol, and one in Baveno, the Dino, two four stars hotels, the Simplon and the Splendid, a Residence, the Carl&Do, and the Lago Maggiore Adventure Park. All started from an intuition of the head of the family, Francesco Zacchera, who decided to open the “Osteria Milanese” tavern on the shores of Verbano. At that time, towns like Stresa, Baveno and the other pearls nearby, lured travellers from all over Europe, but the tourism infrastructures were still at their beginning.
Francesco took this opportunity and soon transformed the tavern to the “Locanda Italia” inn, to welcome the travellers who would like to visit the beauties of Lake Maggiore. Some time after, the “Locanda Italia” became the elegant “Hotel Splendid”, that constitutes the fist stone, or better, the first step in the course of this family enterprise. From that moment on, four generations have taken care with passion and determination of the heritage of the head of the family, carrying on and making evolve a hospitality culture that became reality in the first hotel group on lake Maggiore, one of the main in Italy.
Within the group course, history difficulties and unexpected events played a role, for example the two world wars, especially the second, that left heavy marks on the lake shores. Then, the years for rebuilding came, and also Zacchera family members rolled up their sleeves. Francesco’s eight nephews, his brother Annibale’s sons, enlarged the hotel offer, restoring the Locanda Italia, that became the l’Hotel Splendid, the only hotel of the territory directly facing the lake Maggiore, and taking over the Hotel Simplon, a four stars facility surrounded by a magnificent centuries-old park.
In the next ten years, another jewel became member of the Zacchera chain: The Grand Hotel Bristol, with its suggestive winter garden, in a splendid position on Stresa lake-front. At the beginning of the 70s the family bought another magnificent facility in Baveno, but they also experienced a great loss. Corrado Zacchera, known as Dino, one of Francesco’s nephews, suddenly passed away. As homage to him, his family renamed after him, the last hotel they bought: the Grand Hotel Dino. Connected by an original art gallery to the Simplon, the Grand Hotel Dino became one of the most state-of-the-art conference centres in Italy, and that is not all, it is able to host up to 1.200 people and it is equipped with the most upto-date technologies. In 2001, during restoring, the hotel was also equipped with a detailed and cosy fitness centre, the “Dino health club” that, together with the private beach, the pool, the magnificent garden and the soccer camp, complete an offer able to satisfy any need.
Still today, the young members of Zacchera family take care of their hotels management. Their polite discreet and profession al presence can be felt in the careful and tailor-made hospitality. A success established itself over time, with humility, competence and passion. Always able to be reflected in the attention to guests’ needs, clear in any detail, and, most of all, able to continue to build on ancient roots.
Obviously, the common denominator of Group Zacchera locations is Verbania and its splendid little towns, with the surrounding mountains and the nature oasis, without doubt a tourism inspiring setting, able to embrace a very large target. As a matter of fact, the Lake Maggiore offers tons of opportunities, that every tourist may customize on the basis of their hobbies, being able to count on the Zacchera hotels staff’s competence and professionalism, always at guests’ disposal to supply any information and the needed help to book visits and events in the most beautiful places by Lake Maggiore.
