INTERVIEW WITH RICCARDO NASTI, GENERAL MANAGER OF ZANHOTEL & MEETING CENTERGROSS

Zanhotel & Meeting Centergross, has one of the largest conference centers in Emilia Romagna within a hotel structure, and one of the first 15 in Italy. It has 12 modular rooms to form 18 conference spaces, a total capacity of up to 2500 people, and is located in the heart of the Pronto Moda Made in Italy. We talked about it with the director Riccardo Nasti.  

Congressional business tourism is one of the biggest items in the industry. Is there a return to large, in-person events, or has the pandemic changed these kinds of relationships? 

A meeting is not the same if done remotely, it does not have the same appeal, the same results, the same commercial effectiveness. We have been and we are absolutely able to manage online webinars and any video streaming activity and on all platforms, also because we are equipped with an Ultra Broadband that allows us fast, safe and high performance connections.

But in full compliance with all current safety regulations, we can encourage safe aggregations in all ways: automatic green pass control, absolute distance, masks, cross-checks between our structure and the person in charge of the event. So all the guarantees of being together, because sharing within the same room cannot be replaced by a monitor or a PC, where you lose the pleasant aspect of the event: the conviviality, the catering, and we have an excellent restaurant: real business is done at the table. 

You are inside Centergross so an undoubted convenience for those who come here for business.

Certainly the commercial market of Centergross  uses our structure for overnight stays and catering. But we also have a wonderful SPA, a state-of-the-art gym and an outdoor swimming pool surrounded by large green spaces. So we can offer moments of leisure and relaxation between one business and another. In addition, those who come here for business, a congress or a meeting will feel comfortable and remember us when they have to celebrate a private event.

Yes, because Zanhotel & Meeting Centergross is also a location for birthdays, weddings and parties. We are also organizing a special New Year’s Eve dinner, always in compliance with safety regulations.

Speaking of parties and weddings in particular, I would like to highlight our outdoor spaces. Celebrating a wedding by the pool creates something special and we give attention to all the details of elegance and formality. In addition, our restaurant in the warm months also extends outside with a dehor by the pool, there is background music, even for special evenings of aperitifs that are resuming and we are confident that in 2022 everything will go back as how it was, leaving us with something positive despite the health emergency. I would like to underline that the government has made the right decisions to help us work in tranquility and to create widespread and shared trust. The New Year’s Eve Dinner will be a very special evening, under the banner of a Cena con Delitto, fun, but safe.

Your chain has 3 other hotels in Bologna, all historic and prestigious and was founded by the knight Adriano Zannini, who passed away in 2019. Does the imprint of family management remain, even in such a large structure?

We are the first local chain and I believe that having maintained a management like this is undoubtedly the keystone, the reason for our success, the extra magic that in full professionalism creates that warmth and differentiation that cannot be found elsewhere.