Hotel Biri, an historic hotel in the heart of Padua
In 1946 Ferdinando Stimamiglio launched a project to build a service station for the commercial and tourist traffic travelling in those days on the "Padana Superiore" road no. 11. The project was brought to fruition in 1949 with the opening of the Via Venezia wing: apartments, a repair shop and an industrial vehicles business were the first activities.
The hotel was opened in 1950 and the cinema (CinemaScope of course) in 1954, and soon became synonymous with entertainment and fun in Padua: its terraces could host over 400 people, while the best orchestras beat out the rhythm at its dances.
In the early stages the hotel part of the structure was smaller than the residential wing (30 hotel rooms versus around 100 apartments), but over the years the apartments gave up space to the hotel which now boasts 99 rooms.
In 1989 the hotel was promoted to the new 4-star category, and every day the management seeks to maintain, and even to increase, this level.
The Best Western Hotel Biri looks out on Piazzale Stanga, which derives its name from the barrier of the old customs office that once controlled the entrance of goods into the city.
The name BIRI derives from the joining together of the first two letters of "Birreria" (pub) and "Ristorante" (restaurant): Italian creativity in the 1950s, before the allure of English words had taken over.