Palace Hotel

The Palace Hotel has been a hotel since 1898. It was built on the Como lakefront as the Grand Hotel Plinius, ahead of the Volta Exhibition of 1899, and was the city's first grand hotel.

It was designed by the engineer Giuseppe Salvioni; the decoration of the top floor is by the young Milanese architect Federico Frigerio, who later built the Tempio Voltiano. In the mid-1980s the building was renovated: the three top floors became flats, and a modern wing, the Pianella, was added alongside with a conference centre. In 1992 the hotel took the name Palace Hotel, and since 2005 it has been run by the Villa d'Este group. The Art Nouveau front of the Palazzo Plinius faces the lake, with the cathedral behind it.