Mama Shelter is bringing its unique brand to Rome with the launch of Mama Roma, the group’s first address in Italy, scheduled to open in July 2021. Mama Shelter is the family-founded company that is disrupting the hotel scene with its eccentric, fun and accessible approach to hospitality. Founded in Paris in 2008 by the Trigano family (co-founders of Club Med), Mama Shelter offers its guests a mix of shared fun, affordability and exceptional service in cities and neighbourhoods with a unique story.
Mama Roma will be located in the elegant Prati district, on the right bank of the Tiber river. From here the Vatican City – with its marvellous gardens, museums and Saint Peter’s Square – can be reached in a few minutes on foot, while the heart of the historic centre is just a few underground stops away. The large avenues, with their fin-de-siècle and art nouveau style buildings, refined boutiques and trendy restaurants and bars, give the district its unique character.
Mama Roma-a promising movie star already in the 60s! What will soon be Mama Roma has been a protagonist of the famous scene from Dino Risi’s masterpiece movie Il Sorpasso (1962), in which the award-winning actor Vittorio Gassman whizzes through a sun-drenched, deserted Rome in search of a telephone on an August morning. In fact, over the years, the neighbourhood where the hotel will open has often been chosen as a film set, also due to its proximity to the Vatican and the stunning view of Rome.
Mama Roma will be, at the same time, a hotel, a vibrant urban refuge, a gastronomic address for those looking for authentic flavours and a space for business, relaxation and fun, where different lifestyles and environments influence one another. At Mama Roma, the brand will be launching its first ever Spa, home to an indoor swimming pool, sauna, hammam and minimalistic fitness centre. Attentive and extremely friendly service will also characterise the first Italian hotel of the brand.
The bold and cutting-edge design will be enjoyed by Mama Roma’s guests from upon entry into the hotel and the common areas, where mosaic floors and column capitals depicted on the walls meet the ceilings adorned with artwork by graphic designer and artist Beniloys, as well as contemporary geometric shapes throughout.
Generous and exquisite recipes of the typical Roman cuisine make up the varied menu of the Mama Roma restaurants, including delicious wood oven pizzas and Mama’s international signature dishes. The dining outlets – with their giant communal tables – invite conviviality and sharing, and will also be open to external guests through a separate access.
Mama Roma will offer a magnificent rooftop, open from morning to late at night, for guests to relax, with an aperitif or simply share new memorable moments overlooking glorious views of the Eternal City and the St. Peter’s dome. The rooftop will be equipped with a solarium, and will offer an island bar with homemade cocktails, a beer corner and a hot kiosk for snacks, light meals and drinks.
Spread over six floors, Mama Roma’s 217 rooms have been conceived by the group’s in-house design team, Mama Design Studio. All rooms boast a King Size bed, 5 Star Bedding, a 55″ smart TV that can be controlled from a mobile phone and featuring a large selection of complimentary movies (including adult only), free Wi-Fi and organic bath products in collaboration with Absolution, the award winning French organic cosmetic brand. Mama Shelter’s signature masks of cartoon characters such as Spiderman and Darth Vader will hang on bedside lampshades bringing the brand’s playful character to the guest rooms.
Serge Trigano, Founder of Mama Shelter, adds: “Rome is the ultimate magical city. Its history, miraculously and entirely preserved, seduces us at each corner of the street. And at the same time, the Romans have manners and a certain elegance which give it all its charm and its modernity. Since the beginning of Mama’s adventure, we dreamed of settling here and this will become a reality in the near future. Mama Roma will be located next to the Vatican and only three metro stops from the historical city center. All aspects of our identity will be found in this Mama: the restaurants, the rooftop, the designed bedrooms, the colourful lobby and in addition: a spa and its indoor swimming pool. We have added a library to offer our customers a sample of the most magical Italian literature and art”.
Two Ateliers – meeting spaces with a maximum capacity of 50 people – will be illuminated by natural light and equipped with the most advanced technology in terms of video conferencing, LED screens and BOSE speakers, as well as a minibar and coffee machine. In addition, the “Breakroom” will feature a giant table-football and an outdoor space to play ping pong and bocce – a ball game loosely related to British bowls and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire.
