Grand Hotel Villa Politi hosts conferences, company meetings, gala dinners and weddings, with six indoor halls for 10 to 260 guests and the Latomie Terrace for up to 400. The hotel stands at Via Maria Politi Laudien 2 in Syracuse, Sicily, in the Tyche district, on the edge of the Latomie dei Cappuccini, an ancient stone quarry, a few steps from the sea.
Seminars and company events
The hotel names its halls after people linked to its history, and the range is wide. The Convivia Conference Hall seats 250 theatre-style and opens onto a covered veranda with an outdoor cocktail bar, which helps for breaks and welcome drinks. Latomie Hall takes 150 theatre-style, Churchill Hall 60 and the Consul's Hall 40, with two side terraces. For a board meeting, the Akradina Room seats 10 around a central table. Coffee breaks and refreshments are part of the standard event services, so a congress with parallel sessions can stay in one building from registration to dinner.
Weddings and receptions
Wedding ceremonies and receptions take place on a terrace over the Latomie park or in the historic halls, including the Laudien Hall. The Latomie Terrace holds up to 400 guests for receptions and gala dinners, and Laudien Hall, next to the Veranda Spring, seats up to 260 for banquets and buffets served from Ristorante Primavera. The Churchill Hall includes a tea room, useful for an afternoon reception.
Rooms and capacities
Laudien Hall takes up to 260, Convivia Conference Hall 250 theatre-style, Latomie Hall 150, Churchill Hall 60 with a panoramic bow window, the Consul's Hall 40 and the Akradina Room 10. Outdoors, the Latomie Terrace receives up to 400. The site does not say which spaces can be booked at the same time, so ask before planning several large sessions in parallel.
Accommodation
Bedrooms range from single and classic rooms to superior, deluxe and suite categories, so a group can house speakers and executives in larger rooms. The site does not give a total room count.
Catering
Ristorante Primavera handles banquets and buffets, and the Winston Lounge Bar serves drinks. For conferences, coffee breaks and refreshments are provided by the hotel.
History and setting
The hotel dates from 1862, when Maria Teresa Laudien and Salvatore Politi created it. The building is a late 19th-century palace and is listed among Italy's historic places. Winston Churchill stayed in April 1955 and wrote that he slept well there, and the hotel has received many other well-known guests since. The gardens of the Latomie dei Cappuccini below give the halls and terraces their outlook.
Getting there
The hotel is in the Tyche district of Syracuse, a short walk from the rocky shoreline and its coastal path. Ask the hotel for transfer times from Syracuse station and the nearest airport when planning group arrivals.
