Family ties: an interview with Sara Maestrelli, Co-owner and Creative Director of Collezione Em

At a recent luxury travel conference, I found myself wrestling with the Wi-Fi when I turned to a strikingly stylish woman at the next table for help. Moments later, she had me online, and a fascinating conversation had begun. My impromptu tech saviour turned out to be none other than Sara Maestrelli, Co-owner and Creative Director of the acclaimed Collezione Em, an Italian company that specialises in hotels with intriguing design stories. Later, I had the privilege of sitting down with her to explore how generations of hotelier heritage have shaped the group’s distinctive collection of Italian properties—and the art of creating hotels that feel truly one of a kind.

An interview with Sara Maestrelli, Co-owner and Creative Director of Collezione Em

Hi, Sara. Thanks so much for chatting with us today. To start, can you tell us a little about your background and becoming involved with your family’s hospitality business, Collezione Em?

I’m a third-generation hotelier, so yes, I grew up around hotels – they were just part of life. But strangely enough, I never thought this would be my path. For a long time, I was convinced I was going to do something completely different. I studied neuroscience and philosophy, and I was absorbed by that world, the mind, how we think, how we feel, why we behave the way we do. I felt quite settled in that direction.

Then, toward the end of university, almost without any real plan, I started getting involved in our hotels, out of pure curiosity. I wanted to understand how it all worked.

And the moment I did, I was done. I got hooked immediately. I discovered a world that was creative, emotional, and chaotic in a beautiful way. A world made of people, details, instincts, and atmosphere. It felt incredibly natural to me, even though I hadn’t been looking for it. I fell in love, very simply, and I never really left.

What does the day-to-day look like for you as the Co-owner and Creative Director of the Company?

There really isn’t a day-to-day. No two days look the same, and that’s very much the point.

A lot of my time is spent moving between our properties, Venice, Florence, and Forte dei Marmi. One day I might be on a construction site, the next in a craftsman’s atelier, choosing fabrics or standing with a painter, deciding the exact colour a wall should be. Other days are more human, drinking tea with guests, spending time with the team, and listening.

And then there’s the less poetic part! The moments where I’m completely buried under numbers. Revenue, budgets, spreadsheets appearing out of nowhere. I approach it with a certain irony, but it’s part of the rhythm too.

What I love most is everything that has to do with telling our story to the outside world. Photography, shoots, language, imagery, finding ways to translate what we feel, who we are, and what it means to stay with us. That creative process is incredibly stimulating and very personal.

One delightful constant: wherever the day begins, it is always accompanied by one of the most delicious and indulgent hotel breakfasts imaginable 😉.

How is working for a family business different from other jobs you’ve had?

Working within my family’s business allows a kind of flexibility that I’ve never experienced elsewhere, both in the way my time is structured and in how ideas are allowed to exist and evolve.

But more than that, there’s a special kind of involvement when what you’re working on is part of your own heritage. It comes from my family, from something very personal, and that naturally creates a unique sense of responsibility and care.

Of course, the work follows you home; it naturally blends into family life, but somehow that feels right. It’s demanding, yes, but also rewarding.

In your opinion, what makes the hotels at Collezione Em so special?

This is a very difficult question for me to answer, mostly because, of course, they’re my babies, so I’m not exactly objective.

But if I had to say what makes them special, I think it’s precisely where they come from. They’re born out of a family story, and they’re deeply rooted in the places they belong to. Not just geographically, but culturally, and not in a rigid or academic way.

It’s not about how ancient a building is or who built it first. It’s more about a sense. A way of living. The kind you feel when you walk into a home that has been lived in by the same family for many years. It’s not a museum, it’s alive. There are layers, habits, rhythms. An identity that keeps evolving.

There’s a strong sense of belonging in our hotels. A way of being Florentine, Venetian, Fortemarmino, that naturally permeates the spaces and reaches the guest. You don’t just stay somewhere with cultural value; you get to feel what it means to live in that place.

That, to me, is the difference. There’s an active soul inside, made of people who live these cities every day, who have done so for generations. And somehow, that soul is felt.

You’re originally from Florence. Tell us a little about the two hotels that the company has there. What makes them different?

Grand Hotel Minerva is one of the oldest hotels in Florence that is still open today, and it has always been a landmark. What makes it very special to me is the layering inside it. It’s a 13th-century palazzo, but in 1958 it was renovated by Carlo Scarpa. Having his work inside the building creates this very rare coexistence between something extremely ancient and the work of a modernist visionary. That dialogue is something that blows my mind every time I walk into the breakfast room (I am a huge fan of Carlo Scarpa), and it’s something you perceive immediately when you’re there. And then there’s the rooftop pool, which is still something quite extraordinary, the only panoramic pool in the historic centre, with Florence all around you.

Hotel Brunelleschi has a completely different energy. Very few people realise that the tower is the oldest standing building in Florence. It dates to the 5th century AD, so staying there is almost an archaeological experience. Sleeping in the tower rooms feels very intimate, very quiet; you’re inside the origins of the city, in a way that’s hard to explain until you experience it.

You’ve been deeply involved in opening Collezione Em’s debut property in Venice, Violino d’Oro. It’s an absolute design delight. Can you tell us about some of the highlights?

Violino d’Oro is a hotel we wanted very badly. We spent seven years looking for the right place in Venice. Seven. And then the moment we found it (originally three small two-star hotels next to each other), we saw the main building, the main palazzo, and it was immediate. This is it. Either this, or we stop looking. There was no plan B.

From there, a long renovation process began. And for us, the core of the project was always very clear: to really bring out the cultural identity of Venice. What Venice has been, of course, but also what it is today.

So the hotel became this very eclectic mix. There are ancient, almost oriental influences. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Murano chandeliers. Ancient art. And at the same time, a strong presence of twentieth-century design, contemporary Venetian art, and contemporary Venetian glass. Pieces by iconic masters like Venini or Rubelli, alongside younger, incredibly talented contemporary designers and artisans.

What mattered to us was that it be a Venetian project, entirely rooted in local craftsmanship. And it’s not something finished and frozen. It’s alive. It grows, it changes, it evolves every day. Just like the city itself.

Forte dei Marmi is a hot spot for Italian travellers, but is generally less well-known by those living outside the country. You have two hotels in town. What’s unique about this part of Italy, and how do the hotels differentiate?

Forte dei Marmi is il mio posto del cuore (my happy place). I’ve been spending summers there since I was a kid, the same beach, the same bikes with wicker baskets leaning against pine trees, the same tennis games at Tennis Roma, spaghetti alle arselle on the beach.

There’s a real pleasure in that part of Italy that isn’t about spectacle; it’s about the pleasure of routine, of enjoying a slower sense of time, it’s about unhurried mornings, bicycle rides to the Sunday market, afternoons playing cards by the pool. What’s special about Forte is the idea of villeggiatura (a holiday focused on rest). The pleasure of doing the same things every day, without getting bored. It’s joyful, simple, and deeply Italian.

Our two properties in Forte come from that exact spirit. They’re not about performance, extravagant amenities or opulent services; they’re about belonging. Pensione and Villa Roma talk about the different eras of Forte dei Marmi.

Villa Roma Imperiale is the classical villa Fortemarmina, the epitome of that sense of understated luxury and conviviality that Forte stems from and that still manages to exist in those who truly know it.

Pensione America is our little diva, born when Forte dei Marmi was still a secluded, truly exclusive destination, known only to a small circle of aristocrats and artists escaping city life in search of freedom, pleasure, and privacy on the Tuscan coast.

We’d love to hear about some of your favourite hotel experiences across the globe?

I’ve been lucky to have many beautiful hotel experiences, but the first thing that comes to mind is the tiger safari at Aman-i-Kahs in India. The only hotel experience that made me cry with joy. You sleep in these tents, in the jungle. You wake up before dawn. It’s still dark. There’s silverware for tea, heavy wool blankets, and it’s very silent.

We drove for hours, and there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just trees. It was so beautiful. And then, suddenly, this majestic tiger! Right there. So close, looking at us, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. See? It’s not about constructed amenities. It never is. It’s about making the guests feel how special the world is.

Are you more of a room service or a restaurant diner?

Room service!! No doubt. And my absolute favourite is at Violino d’Oro, our property in Venice.

I very rarely sleep in our properties, but I was lucky enough to live at Violino. Every time I arrive in Venice, the first night is for a bubble bath and room service. And since I indulged in it so much, the menu is made to measure 😉 We have all kinds of club sandwiches, vegan burgers, spaghetti and pizza. And vegan gelato, of course.

Do you prefer a hotel swimming pool or spa?

Spa, spa, spa. I’m a huge fan of spas. Anything that has to do with pampering, wellness, and self-care, especially when I’m travelling alone.

We’re working on a wellness retreat at Pensione America, which I’m very excited about. It will be something truly personal: a nutritionist working alongside Sabrina, our chef, to create Forte dei Marmi–style meals tailored to each guest’s desires; wellness specialists; yoga on the beach at Bagno Assunta; cardio-tennis sessions in chic white at Tennis Roma; hikes in the Apuan Alps; a bespoke “create-your-own” perfume experience with an Italian profumier, and the most mind blowing massages, massages, massages. The idea is to have one in April before the summer and one in September, to reset the skin after the hot summer months.

It’s fun, it’s indulgent, and I honestly can’t wait to experience it myself.

As an avid traveller, what is your top travel tip?

The hotel is your home in the city you are exploring. It is your gateway to truly experiencing a part of the cultural identity of a place that is not found in a museum or guided tour. Do not make the mistake of underestimating it. Feel Florentine, feel Venetian, feel the real Italian pleasure of Villeggiatura.

If one hotel is as good as another for you, you are probably staying in the wrong hotels.

And finally, as we move into 2026, what are your hopes for Collezione Em?

There are so, so, so many things we are working on, and I can not wait to see them come to life. I just hope we will have another wonderful, happy year with all our guests and team.

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