The stylish official unveiling of the Palazzo Versace in China

Today, the illustrious legacy of the late fashion icon Gianni Versace is being honoured and celebrated with a lavish grand opening of the extravagant Palazzo Versace Hotel- bringing the tally of Versace branded hotels worldwide to three.

Located at the heart of the Grand Lisboa Palace Hotel complex in Macau, China, the luxury hotel features unparalleled unique and dazzling hand crafted Italian mosaics.

As the first hotel in the region to be designed by a fashion house, and the first Palazzo Versace in the area, the Palazzo Versace 5-star luxury hotel offers an authentic Italian lifestyle. Designed under the artistic supervision and direction of Donatella Versace, the 20-floor tower is a meticulous and authentic blend of fine Italian style and craftsmanship, including extensive handmade mosaic surfaces from Milan-based Fantini Mosaici.

Today’s much anticipated official inauguration of the extravagantly decorated and furnished Palazzo Versace in Macau follows in the footsteps of the first two hotels – in Australia and the UAE – to have been branded by the top Italian fashion house.

Throughout the property, Fantini Mosaici’s expert mosaicists have meticulously installed over six million hand-cut mosaic tesserae and laid metres of terrazzo to a level of artistic beauty, intricacy and extravagance that outshines even the other lavishly embellished Versace hotels.

Managed by a leading Macau casino operator the mega-resort complex includes the Grand Lisboa Palace, the Palazzo Versace and the Karl Lagerfeld hotels, each with their distinct DNA and style.

From the moment guests enter the magnificent 270-room and -suite hotel, they are welcomed by a spectacular new Italian-style mosaic rendition of the iconic Versace Medusa, cut and hand-laid by Fantini Mosaici, to creates a highlight of the entrance lobby and features over one million pieces of mosaic.

The magnum opus of the mosaic work is undoubtedly the hotel’s two swimming pools, each of which is a work of mosaic art and rivals the world-renowned ‘Million Mosaic’ swimming pool, lined with 24-karat gold mosaic pieces, that Fantini Mosaici created for Gianni Versace’s private Casa Casuarina residence.

Guests can swim in the hotel's sensational indoor or outdoor pools, artfully decorated with over three and a half million Italian glass and marble mosaic tesserae. Versace's iconic Medusa, a fusion of Chinese and Italian artistic influences, has been skilfully incorporated into the designs. The dramatic indoor pool pools feature an exclusive customized pattern embellished with traditional Chinese dragons, flowers and symbols of well-being, wealth, good fortune and happiness in bold primary colours.

The SPA at Palazzo Versace Macau offers a holistic, integrated approach to wellness in a setting exquisitely decorated with splendid Versace-designed mosaics and marble, passionately hand cut and installed by Fantini Mosaici’s artisans. The pale pink, white and soft grey tones of the 110-metre square spa entrance floor and walls feature over 500,000 pieces of mosaic that form delicate feminine flowers and create a sense of calm and respite from the hustle and bustle of contemporary life.

The mosaic immersion continues throughout the spa zone, which is decorated with two million handmade mosaic pieces. The treatment suites and the Italian interpretation of the classic Turkish hammam all enjoy a plethora of intricate, classically inspired mosaic decorations in shades of rich gold and platinum, accented by hues of soft rose gold. The walls and stairways feature rich corals in reds and oranges that wind their way through the stairway, adding to the sophisticated seaside atmosphere.

The guest rooms and ensuite bathrooms are also decorated with intricate mosaic tesserae that complement the furnishings and linens created exclusively by Versace Home.

In other restaurants, the design team opted for sultry black and smoky grey traditional Venetian-style terrazzo flooring, creating a contrast and alternative to the more colourful spaces.

Throughout the grand property, elements of Gianni Versace’s fascination with Greek mythology and classical styles abound, strategically placed to remind guests of the designer's lavish taste and intricate flair.

The long relationship between Fantini Mosaici, one of Italy's oldest mosaic and surface companies, and the Versace family spans over four decades. Fantini created the bold and empowering mosaic surfaces in Gianni’s New York residence and in Casa Casuarina, his Palm Beach residence that is now a luxury boutique-style hotel.

Enrico Fantin, CEO and President of Fantini Mosaici says, "Over the past forty or so years, we have worked extensively with Gianni Versace and his family. Our insight into the brand and our shared values – based on Italian traditions and sensitivities, a reciprocal appreciation for Italian craftsmanship, and the need to keep developing artisanal skills, making them relevant for the modern era – allows us to create interior surfaces that strengthen and deepens the successful Versace brand.”

Fantini Mosaici developed the mosaic boutique interiors for Gianni Versace as his fashion empire went global. The stunning interiors played an instrumental part in the concept for the first Palazzo Versace that opened on the Australian Gold Coast in 2000. Similarly, the Fantini’s expertise in recreating the glorious vision of Gianni and his sister Donatella was called upon throughout the decoration of the second Palazzo Versace Hotel and Condominium in Dubai, which opened in 2015.