VICTORIA — Danilo Danzo, the entrepreneur of the re-imagined 100-year-old Douglas Hotel (now The Rialto) in Victoria has passed away at the age of 90. Danzo was known as an engaging and charming businessman with a gift for finding diamonds in the rough.
He bought the Douglas Hotel, previously known as the Prince George Hotel, in 2000. In 2012, the new hotel adopted Italian marble accents and names that echo northern Italy — the Veneto restaurant in The Rialto was named after the province from which he emigrated in 1956.
“Danilo wanted to change the image and make sure that the Hotel Dougie was of the past,” says former Victoria mayor Alan Lowe. “I know he was really proud of that. It was also about him bringing his roots here. He was from that area and wanted to make a difference in downtown Victoria because he wanted to change what that corner was like.”
Danzo is survived by his wife Jane, their daughter Sarah and grandchildren Hugo and Greta.