Sempre Avanti. Ever Forward. That’s the motto on the Gelardi family shield and it’s a philosophy that has directed the lives and
careers of four generations of hoteliers – Giuseppe, Giulio, Bertie and Geoffrey. Giuseppe managed hotels in his native Italy in
the nineteenth century but his son Giulio was more ambitious and came to London, working first at Walsingham House – which
was to later to become the Ritz – and managing the Savoy and Claridges in London and the Waldorf Astoria in New York. His
son Bertie worked alongside Lord Forte to create the international Trust Houses Forte empire and acquiring, amongst others, the
George V and Plaza Athenée in Paris, Sandy Lane in Barbados and the Pierre in New York. Geoffrey, Bertie’s son and the fourth
generation Gelardi to make his mark in the luxury hotel business, spent years in the USA at the Bel Air in Los Angeles and the
Sorrento in Seattle before returning to the UK to open the Lanesborough in 1991 – then, and still, London’s leading luxury hotel.
Interweaved into this fascinating history we encounter royalty, celebrities, politicians and film stars – Mussolini, King Edward
VII, Lilly Langtry, Ronald Reagan, various Atlantic City mafia figures, Frank Sinatra, Arnold Swartzenegger, Sophia Loren,
Madonna, Michael Jackson, HRH The Queen, Princess Diana and many, many more.
Geoffrey Gelardi recently stepped down from his position as Managing Director of The Lanesborough hotel in London after
nearly three decades at the helm. After training in London, Paris and New York he spent many years in the USA as Managing
Director of the Bel-Air in Los Angeles and the Sorrento hotel in Seattle before returning the London to open The Lanesborough
in 1991. The hotel and Geoffrey Gelardi personally received numerous accolades and awards for redefining the concept of luxury
hospitality. During his time at The Lanesborough he was also Executive Vice-President of Rosewood Hotels, responsible for
operations in Europe, Middle East and Asia. He is now a consultant specialising in luxury hospitality and luxury residential real
estate.
* This is the inside story of the family that redefined the luxury hotel business.
* Interwoven into this fascinating history we encounter royalty, celebrities, politicians and film stars – Mussolini, King Edward VII, Lilly Langtry, Ronald Reagan, various Atlantic City ma¬fia figures, Frank Sinatra, Arnold Swartzenegger, Sophia Loren, Madonna, Michael Jackson, H.R.H The Queen, Princess Diana and many more.
* Includes stories about how Giuseppe Gelardi ran away to join Garibaldis’ Risorgimento, why Mussolini decorated Giulio Gelardi, Bertie Gelardi’s encounters with Marlene Dietrich in pre-war Berlin and, the day that Geoffrey Gelardi shielded President
Reagan from a bullet.
* The author, Geoffrey Gelardi recently stepped down from his position as Managing Director of The Lanesborough hotel in London after nearly three decades at the helm.
