Passion for hospitality a family business

By CNN's Mallika Kapur

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(CNN) -- For the Polito family, boutique hotels are a way of life, or uno stile di vita.

Each of the 14 Baglioni Hotels is an extension of the Polito family and home, bringing Italian warmth and personal service to guests, says Baglioni Hotel president Roberto Polito.

"My family and I want our clients to feel at home. We don't want big hotels," he says.

"For us it's very important that the client is Mr. Smith, or Mr. Long -- not just a number. It's very important. In our hotel we have clients who have been staying with us for 30 years. Every year they come to our hotel."

Roberto, the family patriarch, was born in Rome in 1939 and began working in the hotel business at age 16, taking up different posts throughout Europe.

At age 26, while working as general manager for a Swiss company, he bought some land on the beach in Puntala, Tuscany.

"We started with one hotel, then a second in Florence, then in Bologna, Venice, Rome, Milan and Verona. They are all five-star hotels.

"Now I have two sons to help me. One is vice president of marketing, Luca, second is Guido, he is with me doing the management of the hotel."

Guido told CNN he grew up with a love for the hotel business.

"I have grown up loving hotels so that's why it was quite a natural choice for me to be involved in the family business," he says.

"It's a really entertaining job and most of all if you are working in the hotel on a luxury level it's the best you can have."

The Politos make sure a guest first explores the city through the hotel and this experience begins with location.

For example, the family's Luna Hotel is at the heart of Venice -- a stone's throw away from St. Mark's Square

"All our furniture is original, with some pieces dated back to the 18th century, some 19th century. We try to keep the charm of cozy and romantic ambience and that's what our clients are looking for when they come to Venice," says Guido.

Back in Tuscany, and business aside, Roberto and wife Lisa enjoy his other passion -- wine.

Their villa boasts a vineyard where around 35,000 bottles of his wine Paleo are bottled every year.

"It's a passion not just a business, its very small -- just 50,000 square meters but I love it," Roberto says, adding that his three loves -- wine, his country and family -- are all a part of the Baglioni experience.

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