Helvetia was the first name
The question is constant, almost all our guests, some before and some after, ask us why it is called Hotel Sayonara.
It's an obvious question, since usually in the mountains you don't find hotels with such an uncharacteristic name. Well, our grandfather initially called the hotel HELVETIA, as a tribute to all the years spent in Switzerland working and where he met his wife Tina
The name change
After the request to build the Hotel was made, the story goes that a friend who was a provincial official advised him to call it Sayonara, which means goodbye in Japanese. At the time there was a fascination with the Orient, the gentlemen went to see Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Ezio liked the idea, so he changed the name from HELVETIA to Sajonara, then corrected to Sayonara.
If we then think that in St. Moritz, our grandmother Tina and her brother Andrea at the Palace Hotel where they worked, used to serve the one who divinely interpreted Madama Butterfly, namely Maria Callas, the circle closes.
Given the name, the hotel had to be characterized. He therefore proceeded to create the fountain with the Geisha in the main garden. In this period dozens of weddings were celebrated each year at our hotel and the fountain was the backdrop for the photos of the newlyweds.
He also created the Japanese lounge, an area with precious oriental lamps and vases, tables with crystal shelves and, near the sofas, call buttons that made a bell ring in the bar. During this period, the hotel's guests were counts and countesses, such as Medolago, Veronesi and Castellani, as well as members of Milan's high business elite and generals of the armed forces. Our mother remembers in particular when, at the sound of the bell in the afternoon, people would go out of their way to bring tea and pastries, on silver trays, to the noble holidaymakers sitting in that little living room.
Today it still exists, of course, but it has been transformed into Gloria's atelier, where she creates her works. In the evening it is transformed again and becomes the Art of the Garden.
For those looking for them, the buttons for calling the staff are still visible, but disabled.
The future
In a global world, where the East is no longer so far away and everything is different, governed by appearances, the name Sayonara has unfortunately become anachronistic.
Some guests told us that they were initially unconvinced about choosing our hotel because of the name, which was not very appealing. It is possible that with globalization, guests might think that the owners of the Hotel Sayonara are Japanese, perhaps skilled with sushi, which is so fashionable today, it would not be strange.
Some less expert in foreign languages asked us if we have something to do with China even though Sayonara is a Japanese word.
All this will lead us to change the name of the hotel, which is why Rech-Hof was added, because even putting the surname on the hotel sign has been Ezio's thought for years. Sayonara will always be present here and there, a little hidden but for those who want to find it, always present.