Without too much of a stretch, Giorgio Borlenghi could play a suave, playful diplomat in a Federico Fellini movie. Relaxed yet formal in the relaxed yet formal setting of his hilltop Hotel Granduca Austin, Borlenghi, 65, is the very image of Old World gentility: impeccable manners, immaculate attire, artful conversation.

Alert to the social dynamics of his adopted state, he has, since settling in Houston in the 1970s, introduced modern high design to high-rise residences, built office towers and shopping centers and opened the original Hotel Granduca, in Houston, which has among that city’s highest occupancy rates, average daily rates and revenues for available rooms.