Grand Luxury Hotel et de Milan

Detailed Review

The Grand Hotel et de Milan is right in the centre of the city, opposite via Montenapoleone - with its elegance boutiques, a short walk from La Scala and from the Catherdral. Two years of thorough reconstructing and of technological innovations have made the Grand Hotel et de Milan a perfect place for either business or pleasure, allowing guests to enjoy the age old appeal of nineteeth century noble resisdences.

The rooms and suites, all different to one another has period furniture which has been fondly restored. Each room or suite is characterised by a style of its own.

Press Quotes

"The antiques-filled Grand Hotel et de Milan is on the Via Manzoni, near Armani's shop. Giuseppe Verdi died here, which is something the hotel seems inordinately proud of—they even hand you a CD of bad Verdi singing when you check in. The huge public room has late-19th-century luxuries, including a walk-in fireplace. The bar is cozy and usually crowded." Conde Nast Traveler 03



"Discretion is the key word for this historic hotel, which, as any Milanese will tell you, has had its share of illicit encounters between high-ranking politicians and businessmen and their mistresses. Accordingly, staff at the front desk come across as knowingly clever and everything is hushed and low-key. The Grand Hotel de Milan dates back to 1863 and was once home to Giuseppe Verdi. The composer settled into Suite 105 in 1872, writing parts of Othello on the desk in this room. As he lay dying in 1901, Verdi's fans laid straw down on the surrounding streets to prevent carriages from disturbing the maestros final hours. The practice was repeated a century later, in honour of his death. Verdi wasn't the hotel's only celebrity guest. Suite 132 once housed Gabriele d Annunzio, a writer, who was infatuated with a fellow guest, Tamara de Lempika, a flamboyant 1920s painter, her suite (405) still contains correspondence between the two. Enrico Caruso stayed in Suite 306 and Suite 112 was a favourite of Rudolf Nureyev. The hotel was refurbished in the early 1990s and most of the room) contain the original pieces. Milan's firsthydraulic pump-operated lift is here it dates from 1860. The Grand Hotel has one of Milan's best gourmet restaurants (the Don Carlos, now under Edoardo Ferrea, an experimental Ligurian chef).



But should you prefer to venture out, the location is perfect. The lobby bar is an elegant alternative to fighting your way through posturing fashionistas in the city's bars." Economist

Independent Reviews

Grand Hotel et de Milan
By Jamie Dunford Wood

The Grand Hotel et de Milan is a classic 19thC Italian grand dame - dusty, dowdy, slow, polite - with a posh granny-flat feel. Many of the staff look like they have been here for eons, and will probably die on the job. Downstairs there is a heavy Edwardian feel - patterned silk and velvet sofas, piped opera music, dusty potted palms, heavy marble fireplaces. Upstairs the tone is lighter, with cream and cool marble corridors. Many of the guestrooms have old parquet floors, with French empire furnishings, scuffed dusty pink walls, hunting prints and 18thC engravings on the walls. The tubs are old, with no separate showers. The hotel is a short walk from La Scala, so for operatic types who don't want Tosca to come to an end, this hotel provides the perfect ambience.

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• Grand Hotel et de Milan
  By The TI Review Team

  The Grand Hotel et de Milan has been one of Milan's most prestigious hotels ever since it opened in 1863. The opera composer Giuseppe Verdi lived here for 27 years, partly because of the hotel's proximity to La Scala, and Tamara de Lempicka, Sofia Loren and Mussolini all stayed here over the decades. Décor at the Grand is traditional yet classy, with elegant period furniture and giant bouquets in the lobby and piano music tinkling in the Falstaff bar.
  
  
  
  The jazz-era mood extends to the rooms, which are decorated with turn-of-the-century furniture and historical prints. For the ultimate in luxury, request the 18th-century-style Suite Guiseppe Verdi. The hotel makes extensive use of natural light, with light wells in all the bathrooms, and amenities include a glass-walled fitness centre in the interior courtyard and two resplendent ballrooms which can be rented for events.
  
  
  
  Another highlight is the renowned Don Carlos restaurant, headed by famous chef Alfredo Russo. A popular spot for pre- or post- opera dining, the intimate restaurant seats just 35 and the walls are crammed with operatic paintings donated to the restaurant by the Museum La Scala. Patrons can descend to the wine cellar with the restaurant’s sommelier to personally choose wine to accompany their dinner.

  © Travel Intelligence. All rights reserved

• "Central for shopping and opera, this character Milan classic is full of understated charm"