Ben Trovato Reimagined For Today
The Ben West Palm, an Autograph Collection Hotel, channels the spirit of one of West Palm Beach’s original homes and interprets it for a modern traveler. Byrd Spillman Dewey gave her 1892 Victorian home the name Ben Trovato, literally meaning “well invented” or “well found”; the name is derived from Se non è vero, è ben trovato, an Italian phrase which, loosely translated, means “Even if it isn’t true, it’s a good story”. The Estate put West Palm Beach on the cultural map, entertaining luminaries like Henry Phipps Jr., Woodrow Wilson, and the Vanderbilts. Much like the Ben Trovoato Estate, The Ben is an unconventional hotel experience and a place for socialization, lively conversation, enjoyment, and enrichment.
Meet The Dewey Family
Drawn to magical, uninhabited land of South Florida in late 1800s – “a land of romance, fanned by mysterious spice-laden breezes” Byrd and Fred Dewey, moved to West Palm when only 200 people lived in all of South Florida and built the Ben Trovato.
Byrd Dewey, Grandniece of President Zachary Taylor, was a published and celebrated author, including national bestseller Bruno. She was a noted conservationist and animal lover. The hotel creatively channels Byrd Dewey’s joie de vivre, her love of entertaining, her whimsical interests and personal passions, as well as her strong advocacy for the natural world.
Byrd Spilman Dewey
Hailing from Kentucky, Byrd Spilman Dewey’s many talents brought her fame – as a columnist, author, land investor and bon vivant known throughout society as a superb hostess, demonstrating her charming hospitality at Ben Trovato. She wrote often of her pioneering days in a paradise that the world was just discovering. Her love of West Palm Beach and South Florida, her home for more than 30 years, is captured in her writings through their everlasting legacy in telling her story.
More information about The Ben
Injecting a new energy into downtown West Palm Beach.
“Se non è vero, è molto ben trovato”