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It was June 1987 when two French maisons, both very famous but from apparently distant sectors, Louis Vuitton, born in 1854 and specialized in trunks, suitcases and bags, and Moët Hennessy, a company just over sixteen years old at the time known for the production of spirits, came together to create Lvmh, the acronym of the respective four initials which today, 36 years later, identifies the largest luxury group in the world. Listed in Paris, Lvmh closed the first half with revenues up 17% to 42.4 billion and a net profit of almost 8.5 billion (+30% on 2022). Driving the group – which has added 73 to the two initial maisons – is always Louis Vuitton, first among the first: with 2022 revenues estimated at over 20 billion, it is among the best known and certainly the largest high-end brand in the world . Not only thanks to the offer of leather goods and handbags, but to the presence in every segment of personal luxury goods, from perfumes to clothing, from eyewear to footwear and furniture-design. The Vuitton mosaic – in fact the only maison to sell only thanks to a network of its own stores, without wholesale distribution – has recently been joined by the catering element. The real debut had been in December 2022 in Paris, with the Maxime Frédéric café and chocolate shop at Louis Vuitton, within the Lv Dream space and in the French capital, within five years, the first Vuitton hotel should open. The next step in catering was, earlier this year, the opening in the Chinese city of Chengdu of The Hall by Louis Vuitton, a starred restaurant made exclusive not only by starred chefs, but by the presence of furnishings from the Object Nomades collection and of works of art. Now the mosaic of hospitality signed by Vuitton is enriched by the maison’s first café in Italy: the Louis Vuitton Café by Timeo has just opened in Taormina, located on the first floor of the building that houses a renovated brand boutique. The combination is part of a larger summer resort project that includes summer pop-up shops, dining experiences and beachside takeovers, from the Hamptons at the gates of New York to Saint Tropez and Bodrum in Turkey, Mykonos, Greece. Managed by the team of the Grand Hotel Timeo, which is part of the Belmond group – controlled by Lvmh and which owns, among others, the Cipriani hotel in Venice – the Café in Taormina offers service all day and two menus, one savory and a sweet one, with light and summery options that reflect the local flavors and specialities: from the croissant with pistachio cream to the mini cassata, passing by the arancini (which for the Sicilians are “arancine”). The two light menus are also available for an aperitif, which is served from 7pm to 10pm (until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays), but are part of a wider selection proposed by chef Roberto Toro, with an à la carte menu and a drink menu, which includes the fresh Taormina Spritz, available all day.
Inaugurated, we could say, with the tourist season already underway, the Louis Vuitton Café by Timeo in Taormina promises novelties and surprises for summer 2024, which will go hand in hand with the other projects in Lvmh’s hospitality and which are part of an embraced trend from many high-end brands. Also because the five (or more) star catering and hotel industry knows no slowdowns or crises, especially when compared to the fluctuating trend that characterizes other segments of tourism in the broadest sense (see pages 2 and 3 of today’s newspaper ). Giorgio Armani and Bulgari have been present in hospitality for years with great success and investments, but it is fair to remember that it was perhaps Ralph Lauren who “discovered” this business, who opened the RL restaurant in Chicago at the end of the 90s, followed by Ralph’s in Paris and the Polo Bar in New York (2015), which today are part of a network of restaurants, bars and cafes around the world and which also includes the restaurant in Milan, opened in via Spiga next to the Ralph Lauren boutique.