Orient Express Hotels has announced that the Hotel Caruso in Ravello – the group’s fourth property in Italy – will open 21 June 2005.

The company bought the property in June 1999 and has since invested $30m (£16.5m) in the restoration of the building, which originally opened as a hotel in 1893.

Situated on a hilltop on the Sorrento Peninsula, 350m above the Gulf of Salerno, the 54-room hotel will have two restaurants with a total of 170 covers, an outdoor heated swimming pool, a gym and tennis courts. A luxury day spa will be added by the end of 2006.

Orient hopes that the location will attract guests looking for either a cultural retreat or a touring base, as the site is surrounded by a number of historically important cultural sites.

Simon Sherwood, president, said: “The property has a distinguished history and an exceptional location. It will be a fitting sister to our established Italian properties.”

During the restoration, ruins dating back to the 12th century were discovered at the site, which are now being restored with the local fine arts authorities.

Under its previous name, Pensione Belvedere, the hotel attracted a number of artists and actors, including Greta Garbo and Humphrey Bogart. Details: www.hotelcaruso.com