Carmen Bucher Wirth

Carmen Bucher Wirth (March 19, 1913 – June 27, 2001) was a Swiss-American hotelier and the proprietor of the Hotel Hassler in Rome, Italy. She was a descendant of the Swiss hotelier Franz Josef Bucher, known for his role in the development of several early European hotels.

Early life Wirth was born Carmen Bucher in New York City on March 19, 1913, the fraternal twin of her sister Mercedes, and daughter of Otto and Marta Bucher. She had a younger brother, Robert. She studied law in New York and worked in the legal department of American Underwriters before relocating to Rome.

Career

Hotel Hassler Roma After the death of her husband Oscar in the late 1960s, Wirth became the owner and principal manager of the Hotel Hassler Roma. In a 1976 interview, she said that although she had not previously held an official role in the business, she had long observed the operations: “I realized I knew the hotel business—I had been watching it all my life.”

Wirth commented publicly on women's roles in hospitality, telling the Los Angeles Times that “The hotel business is an exciting one for women. A good hotel is like a big household.” In 1992, she was awarded Hotel Magazine's prestigious Hotelier of the Year award

Personal life Carmen and Oscar Wirth had three children:

Roberto E. Wirth Peter O. Wirth Cristina Wirth

Wirth spoke English, Italian, French, German, Swiss German, and some Spanish.