Issue No.21 - Polo De’Marco Magazine Issue No.21 - SPECIAL EDITON(clone) | Page 127

5. Hassler Hotel was requisitioned by the U.S
Airforce and was used as their Rome based
headquarters for World War II. Why was the
hotel used for military purposes? And does the
US Airforce continue to have bases in Rome?
It has been a military choice. The Italian Government
in appliance with the after war agreements decided
the assignment of the headquarters and the Hassler
has been requisitioned by the USA Airforce.
Thus, the Hassler Rome has received economic
compensation from the Italian Government through
the years.
Nowadays, there are no active USA Airforce bases in
Rome and the biggest and the most important one is
in Aviano city (Veneto- North Italy)
We can do everything except hearing. As in
most things I do, my deafness does not hinder
me, deafness has actually refined other skills and
perceptions. Deafness is not and never was a
handicap in my work. I need an interpreter only
sometimes, for special occasions, like delivering
a speech in front of an audience. Over the years,
and especially nowadays, technology has been the
miraculous assistant that has helped me pursue my
dream. Before the latest technology, I depended on
other people to make telephone calls for me, but now
I have the option of sending emails and messages
with my cell phone – which I like best since I like to
use few words.
8. You are the Founder and President of
CABSS (Assistance Centre for Deaf and
6. In your bio - it states that the Hassler Hotel
Deafblind Children) - what is your role in
is considered your passion, home and family
heritage. What personal touches have you done the non-profit organisation? And how do you
support the organisation?
to make it what it is today? And secondly do
you live within the hotel?
Today, I consider the Hassler my passion, my home
and my family heritage. My commitment, dedication
and personal touch are what have led the hotel to
achieve its position as one of Europe’s top hotels.
I am constantly open minded towards news and
changes, focusing in particular on technological
innovations. I have written a book “Il Silenzio è
stato il mio primo compagno di giochi” (Silence
was my first playmate - edited only in Italian) an
autobiography that tells the history of my life..born
profoundly deaf… the difficulties encountered as
well as the joys experienced and the goals achieved. I
try to encourage not only deaf people to pursue their
dreams. For me, there is always a possibility. Never
give up is my motto. I have been awarded in New
York as “Independent Hotelier of the Word 2005”
one of the highest and prestigious international
recognitions in the hotellerie.
It has been a real satisfaction for me being arrived
at that point. It was not easy to realize my dream
without, above all, the support of my family.
I do not live in the hotel but I have an apartment not
too far, so that I am always within easy reach.
7. For someone who is considered as hearing
impaired - do you think it is an issue working
in an industry where being a hotelier is
about customer service and being a good
communicator?
I was born profoundly deaf and I have always been
socially active. In 1992, the “Fullbright –Roberto
Wirth” scholarship for Italian students who are
deaf or hearing, was created. The scholarship gives
the opportunity, each year, to a student to study
at Gallaudent University, Washington D.C. and
specialize in an area that might benefit Italian deaf
and deafblind children from the educational and
psychological standpoints. In 2004, I founded the
Roberto Wirth Fund that later became CABSS
(Assistance Center for Deaf and Deafblind Children
– www.cabss.org), a non-profit organization
dedicated to supporting deaf and deafblind
children, and their families. The association
focuses in particular on children from birth to six
years and works with projects that promote an
adequate cognitive, emotional, social, linguistic and
communicative development that allows children
to fully express their personality. Furthermore, the
organization provides the children’s parents with
adequate psychological support and guidelines to
educate their offspring.
9. You play many roles - General Manager,
Author, Founder and President of the CABBS,
Consultant, Awardee and heir to Rome’s
Leading Hotel: Hassler. What don’t you do?
The most difficult challenge for me is to take time off,
even though.