ROMEO to Open 63-Room Kengo Kuma Retreat in May 2027

ROMEO Collection plans to debut its third address, ROMEO Massa Lubrense, in May 2027 with 63 rooms and suites on a private natural fjord at Punta San Lorenzo in Campania.

The cliffside retreat extends the collection's Italian footprint beyond its urban hotel in Naples and historic property in Rome, placing the brand on one of Italy's most storied coastlines. For more than 2,000 years, the region has attracted aristocrats, affluent travelers and artists seeking a haven for contemplation.

Architecture and site

The 63-room property will transform the site of the historic 1963 Hotel Delfino. Kengo Kuma designed the retreat in collaboration with ROMEO Design, using the site's position to strengthen the connection between guests and the fjord.

Kuma's design draws on the Japanese concept of Ma, which the project defines as emptiness functioning as a quiet presence rather than an absence. The principle allows the architecture to recede into its surroundings and shifts the visual emphasis to the relationship between guests and the natural beauty of the water.

Materials favor warm, organic tones and natural finishes, including local tuff, travertine, American walnut and matte ceramics. Transparency and the soft curves associated with Kuma's work combine in a pared-back aesthetic designed to let the eye rest and the landscape take center stage.

Across the hotel's 63 rooms and suites, the design dissolves the boundary between interior and exterior in favor of indoor-outdoor living. The approach carries into the outdoor spaces, where a zenithal view across the gulf makes the infinity pool appear to merge with the sea beyond.

The minimalist scheme keeps the sea, light and natural landscape at the center of the experience. It also translates the area's long history as a place of contemplation into a design centered on space, views and direct contact with the coastline.

Quattro Passi joins Romeo Group

The Romeo Group has announced a strategic partnership with the Mellino brothers to expand Quattro Passi, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant founded in Massa Lubrense. The Quattro Passi brand is now part of Romeo Group, bringing an established local restaurant into the group's portfolio ahead of the hotel opening.

Quattro Passi brings more than 40 years of culinary history to the project. Antonio Mellino founded the restaurant in 1983, and his sons subsequently developed it. Fabrizio and Raffaele Mellino will now take direct roles in shaping the brand's next phase, starting with ROMEO Massa Lubrense.

What does the Quattro Passi partnership change for the hotel?

For ROMEO, the practical change is specific: Quattro Passi will serve as the hotel's fine-dining restaurant, while Fabrizio and Raffaele Mellino will help develop the property's broader food-and-beverage offering. The arrangement places a three-Michelin-starred restaurant and the involvement of its founding family at the center of the opening plan.

The announcement does not disclose room rates, check averages, labor costs, food-and-beverage cost percentages, capital costs or margin targets. It also does not specify whether ROMEO Massa Lubrense will be company-operated or franchised.

For operators, the available numbers are the 63-room property, an outdoor offer centered on an infinity pool and a restaurant carrying three Michelin stars. The source does not provide enough financial information to assess pricing power, cost structure or returns, making those measures unavailable until ROMEO publishes more details.

Next milestone

The next checkpoint is the May 2027 debut, when the 63-room property is scheduled to open with Kengo Kuma's design, Quattro Passi as its fine-dining restaurant and the Mellino brothers involved in the broader F&B offering. The launch will establish ROMEO's third address and begin Quattro Passi's expansion within Romeo Group.