The story of the key....

The story of the Key is widely believed to date back to 1866, originating in the quaint Italian coastal town of Giovinazzo.

According to legend, the son of the local harbourmaster in the town noticed the sudden influx of homeless soldiers disembarking from the ships, seeking refuge and in search for a better life.

A compassionate man, the harbourmaster's son offered food and shelter to many of the homeless people that he met wandering around the harbour, accommodating as many as he could in the family stables. Hiding the soldiers from his strict father, the young man worked with the local blacksmith to craft a skeleton key for his father's home so that he could shelter even more men in the unused wine cellar and attic.

Years passed and, following his father's passing, the harbourmaster's son converted his family's home into the town's first hotel in 1874. The hotel quickly became renowned throughout the south of Italy and remained so for many years to come, with travellers from far and wide commending the new hotelier on his firm managerial skills and unrelenting enthusiasm. The hotelier held with him a strong Mediterranean passion for his craft and maintained an excellent work ethic over the years, in order to provide the best experience to his guests. Sadly, in 1912 the beloved hotelier passed away, but his craft lived on through his numerous successors.

The ownership of the Rare Key, the very skeleton key crafted by the harbourmaster's son, is not something that is taken lightly. Although the Key has travelled across the world with its owner over the years, each hotelier or managing agent in possession of the artefact was carefully selected by their predecessor for their great passion, skill and work ethic within the hospitality industry. Along with the Key comes a huge responsibility to the guests, staff and infrastructure of the accommodation that they run.

You may never meet current holder of the Key. Such is the rarity of top quality service. The owner could be anywhere, or anybody. They could be running your local BnB, or a 5 Star hotel across the globe. Their current whereabouts remain a mystery to this day...

Just kidding. She's actually a managing agent based in Johannesburg, South Africa. And she wants to help you bring the best service to the guests at your resort.