[3] The hotel was used by foreign dignatories visiting Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist dictator, during his stays in Riccione,[4] while the tower annexe was used as an operational control and security centre by his private secretariat.

[2][3] After the Second World War, the hotel symbolised Riccione's growth as an upmarket seaside resort, hosting extravagant parties.

[12] Previous guests at the hotel include Francesco Cossiga, President of Italy, Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan, and Emmanuel Milingo, excommunicated Archbishop of Lusaka.

[15] Opened in 1877 by Count Giacinto Martinelli, a local landowner, and Emilio Amati,[16][17] it was destroyed by the 1916 Rimini earthquakes;[18][19] only the caretaker's house remains extant in the hotel's garden.

[2] Next to the hotel was the Villa Martinelli Soleri,[11] built between 1878 and 1879 and demolished after the Second World War,[15][11] whose upper-floor terracotta balustrade and Moorish pointed openings are extant.

[21] Ceschina's investment was likely solicited by Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist dictator,[1] whose family had begun to take annual summer holidays in Riccione from 1926.

[1][2] On New Year's Eve 1956, the Winter Rose (Rosa d'Inverno), an annual socialite party by invitation only, was hosted at the Grand Hotel Riccione.

[5] Organised by the municipal government and the Moto Club Celeste Berardi, guests included Sophia Loren, Fred Buscaglione, and Mina.

[26] In November 2019, Il Resto del Carlino reported that a new building was planned for the complex at the site of the current beachside car park, including streetside shops, a fitness centre, a spa, and a swimming pool.

[8] In September 2023, the Court of Rimini declared Marebello SpA, the owner of the Grand Hotel Riccione, as bankrupt, with estimated debts of €20 million.