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Hotel Rialto, a slice of northern Italy on the west coast

Guests are greeted by a complimentary cheese plate at check-in
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Danilo Danzo, owner of Hotel Rialto, was the first to begin gentrifying the corner of downtown on Pandora and Douglas when he purchased the old Hotel Douglas to restore it to it’s former glory. (Submitted by Kirsten Kost)

Immigrating to Canada from northern Italy, Danilo Danzo wanted nothing more than a comfy bed to sleep in. Choosing to stay at Hotel Douglas, he was enthralled by the grandness of the place.

Sitting in his room he thought to himself ‘one day, can you imagine if I could own this hotel?’

Fast forward to a little over a decade ago, after creating a successful property management business, Danzo was able to fulfill that dream and purchased the hotel.

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Saddened by the state of what was once a beautiful place to stay that had turned into a “hotel that people would pay by the hour,” says Kirsten Kost, vice president of sales and marketing for Mairet Hotels, Danzo was the first to begin gentrifying that corner of downtown and renaming it to Hotel Rialto and restoring it to the original grandness.

“That got the ball rolling and all the other developments started around it,” she says.

Now, the hotel boasts an Italian flare remnant of Danzo’s Italian roots, with 56 rooms in the heart of Victoria. Close to Canada’s oldest Chinatown, endless bars, restaurants and local boutique shopping scattered around the hotel, it’s the perfect place for visitors wanting an authentic Victoria experience.

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“We’ve heard and seen that people want an authentic experience, not just the typical Victoria you might see in a postcard,” says Kost. “That sense of home and the boutique nature of our hotel — it’s not a cookie cutter.”

Upon entering Hotel Rialto, located at 653 Pandora Ave., guests are greeted by a complimentary cheese plate at check-in and then ushered into beautiful rooms that include free coffee, tea and wireless internet. Guest can enjoy the Veneto Bar Ristorante featuring northern Italian inspired cuisine and a ‘highly elevated cocktail list’ along with 1,100 unique bottles of wine.

Offering a ‘Go Green’ program where guests can choose to decline room service completely which decreases a room’s hydro use by 37 per cent, waste management by 50 per cent, gas by three per cent and water and sewage by 11 per cent. As an incentive, guests will receive a $10 credit to be used at the Veneto Bar Ristorante.

For more information on the hotel visit hotelrialto.ca.



kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca

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Guest can enjoy the Veneto Kitchen and Bar featuring northern Italian inspired cuisine and a ‘highly elevated cocktail list’ along with 1,100 unique bottles of wine. (Submitted by Kirsten Kost)
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With 56 rooms in the heart of Victoria, close to Canada’s oldest Chinatown, endless bars, restaurants and local boutique shopping scattered around the hotel, Hotel Rialto is the perfect place for visitors wanting an authentic Victoria experience. (Submitted by Kirsten Kost)