Lush, red geraniums define each and every balcony of the hotel.

The prize has been presented, and the winner is the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees! Last week, the organization Asproflor presented its award for "The most flowery hotel in Italy" to the director of Stresa's five-star Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. The competition is organized by Asproflor, in collaboration with the tourist district of the Italian lakes, with the belief that the beauty of flowers not only adds to the already natural beauty of the region, but actually adds to their appeal among tourists when choosing vacation destinations.

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Tens of thousands of tulips bloom every spring.

The numbers of blooms at the Borromees is rather staggering and almost places the 179-room hotel at botanical garden level: There are more than 2,000 red geraniums in the planters that adorn the balconies of the luxury hotel, while during the spring, the hotel gardens boasts a show of 10,000 tulips and 11,000 violets, replaced later in the season with 4500 to 8000 begonias and summer annuals. The large park, 33,500 sq. meters, is open to the general public (read a bit about it here), and also features small wooded areas comprising hundreds of varieties of trees, as well as citrus trees, hibiscus bushes, a Japanese garden, and manicured lawns dotted with stone walking paths and benches for pausing to take it all in. During the winter, many of these plants are moved into special greenhouses, preserving them until the next season.

Marco Padulazzi, director of the hotel, says, "The blooms of the balconies and park represent a major expense, but it's an investment that will return tenfold. Just read the reviews online to understand how much importance to give customers give to the well-maintained flowers."

In addition to the Borromees, Stresa had an overall excellent showing in the ranking, placing second among the tourist towns."