Special RepoRt
A harmonious , carefree atmosphere defines Villa d ’ Este . “ Even now the words I hear the most is that there ’ s a calm , despite the situation ,” he says .
An ItAlIAn hotelIer That calm emanates from the affable , thoughtful Zucchetti himself . “ He has this capacity to do things in the right moment , with the right attitude , with the right people ,” says Finizzola , GM of the Four Seasons Milan from 1992 to 2015 and now GM at Bauer Hotels in Venice , where Zucchetti had been GM for three years earlier in his career .
Finizzola hired Zucchetti in 1993 for a front desk position and remained a friend and adviser as Zucchetti moved to Berlin and Tokyo for Four Seasons . Early on , Finizzola recalls thinking , “ This guy will have a great future .”
On his visits to the Villa d ’ Este , Finizzola says , “ I saw that he got full respect from his employees ”: friendly without being friends , instructing without arrogance or pontification . “ There is authority and there is autorevolezza ” — either snapping orders or leading with assurance , Finizzola says . “ You have to treat everyone with respect … I think deep in his heart , a little bit of Four Seasons is still alive .”
Zucchetti ’ s formal career started with Four Seasons , which he says “ wasn ’ t just a chain , it was the chain ,” after attending hotel school in Switzerland . But his interest in hospitality was piqued early : Relatives on his mother ’ s side ran a small hotel , where he worked as a youth . “ Honestly , I was not thinking that was going to be my business , but with time I realized I had a true passion for this ,” he says . “ That ’ s how I started , basically , during the summers in this beautiful countryside in Vicenza .”
At Four Seasons , he got a taste of luxury . “ Opening 28 years ago in Milan , with the presence of Isadore Sharp instilling in everybody with his charismatic presence , saying , ‘ It ’ s beautiful as it is , but now it ’ s all up to you ,’” Zucchetti says . “ Just those simple words make you understand . And of course , that is the time you absorb more . I was eager to absorb all this teaching .” Zucchetti took the lessons from Four Seasons to Venice in 1999 , when he became GM at the Bauer Hotel & Il Palazzo . “ I was able to , without altering the individuality of the property , bring in the consistency ,” he says . The move was a key part of his evolution as a manager , although he declines to get specific about his leadership style , which he says “ has to adapt to the property you are in .”
Without a management company at
the Bauer , he took a more “ autocratic ” approach to maintain new standards . At Villa D ’ Este , he was joining a company whose standards had been in place for decades .
“ My role was more management style based on contribution ,” Zucchetti says . “ My priority was maintaining our identity , keeping what was the key of this successful property .” Always evolve , never change .
“ He is autocratic every now and then ,” says Ezio Indiani , Zucchetti ’ s predecessor at Villa d ’ Este and now GM of the Hotel Principe di Savoia , a Dorchester Collection hotel in Milan . “ I think he ’ s very patient . I think that he ’ s very wise . He listens to people and he takes the time to take the decision . But then , yes , I ’ ve seen ( him ) in certain situations in which you ’ re needed to be , let ’ s say , tough .”
36 hotelsmag . com November / December 2020