about hassler roma
History of the Hotel
and the Bucher Wirth family
A family with more than 150 years of experience in the hotel industry and Swiss hospitality.
about hassler roma
History of the Hotel
and the Bucher Wirth family
A family with more than 150 years of experience in the hotel industry and Swiss hospitality.
1885
Our story begins with Albert Hassler, a Swiss man from the picturesque alpine village of Maladers. He arrived in Rome in 1885 with his family to manage the Hotel New York on Via Bocca di Leone. He renamed the hotel Hassler & New York, setting the stage for a new era of Swiss Hospitality led by the family in Rome.
1892
This year is significant in the history of what we recognize today as the Hassler Roma. Three buildings located in Piazza Trinità dei Monti were purchased from the Marquis Salviucci for 380,000 francs, expanding the properties owned by Hassler.
Their properties were very appealing for their charming locations; however, they were in sore need of major renovations. The hotels were rather dark on the inside and featured a series of small rooms arranged one after another.
1893
After a year of renovations, Hotel Hassler was finally reopened for business. Tourists familiar with the attentive Hassler service were delighted and flocked to the hotel.
1921
Albert Hassler’s son-in-law, Franz Nistelwech, then owner of both the Hassler and Hotel Eden, formed a legendary partnership with his friend Oscar Wirth.
1936
For a time, Hotel Hassler had been managed by a distant relative named Arnold Walty, and although it was an important hotel for German and Swiss tourists visiting Rome, Walty’s less-than-careful management had left the hotel in need of renovation. It was at this point that Nistelweck and Wirth regained full ownership of Hotel Hassler, which was poised for revival.
1939
Oscar Wirth begins the monumental undertaking of remodeling the Hassler Hotel. The plans required the near full demolition and reconstruction of the hotel. Without Wirth’s foresight and determination, the project may never have been completed. He had to defend himself numerous times against influential members of the local government who opposed the rebuilding of the property.
1944
In 1944, at the height of World War II, the Hassler Hotel was requisitioned by the Allied Forces. It became an important and strategic building, housing the Supreme Command of the Air Forces. It was only returned to the family after the war, but wouldn’t open to the public until 1947.
1947
After the trying times of World War II, the hotel was finally returned to the management of Oscar Wirth and was reopened to the public.
1948
Love was in the air in 1948. While on a business trip in New York, Oscar Wirth fell in love with Carmen Bucher. She was the great-granddaughter of Franz-Josef, a pioneer of the European hospitality industry.
1950
Roberto Wirth was born to Oscar Wirth and Carmen Bucher Wirth in 1950. Born profoundly deaf in a time without much support for children like him, his immense potential remained in the shadows for many years.
1964
Oscar Wirth and the descendants of Franz Nistelweck decide to end their historic partnership. Oscar Wirth acquired the remaining shares of the Hassler, while the Nistelweck heirs retained ownership of the Eden.
1968
This was the year the Hassler family sadly lost Oscar Wirth. Upon his death, the Hassler was entrusted to his wife Carmen the inspiration behind Carmen’s Bar. Later, their son Roberto would guide the hotel into a new era.
1982
After a successful academic career abroad and working as an advocate for the deaf community around the world, Roberto E. Wirth became the General Manager of the Hassler Roma.
1999
The charming 19th-century residence near the Spanish Steps had always intrigued Roberto Wirth, and in 1999 he was able to acquire the building. He dubbed the building Il Palazzetto, and after careful renovations, reopened it as a wine bar and boutique hotel.
2022
Following the death of Roberto Wirth, his children, Roberto Bucher and Veruschka Bucher Wirth, lovingly assume the roles of President and CEO, continuing the family’s legacy in the hospitality industry.
