Review of Four Seasons Hotel Milano

Located in the Golden Quadrilateral, steps from the city’s Fashion District and Italy’s most famous designers, the Four Seasons Hotel Milano sits between Via della Spiga, Via Sant’Andrea and Via Montenapoleone. A short ten-minute stroll from Milan’s most popular sights such as the Duomo Cathedral, the 19th century glass-covered Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade and Teatro alla Scala – the famous 18th century opera house, the property offers the perfect garden oasis away from the hustle and bustle of a busy city. 

Milan Linate Airport is around 25 minutes car transfer or 11 kilometres from the hotel while Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP) is around an hour’s journey time or 45 kilometres from the property. 

For drivers, there is underground valet parking.

There are just 118 rooms including 50 suites in this five-floored impeccably restored former convent, surrounding a pretty, internal cloister garden. All rooms feature Acqua Di Parma bath amenities; heated floors; steam-proof mirrors, thick terry bathrobes and deep European soaking tubs in the marble bathrooms; expansive walk-in closets; Four Seasons’ renowned beds with Frette linens; clock radios; in room safes; CD and DVD players; flat screen televisions with satellite channels; complimentary newspaper with breakfast; Fortuny fabrics and custom designed sycamore-buri and pear cabinetry.  Hypoallergenic pillows are available on request.

There are four categories of classically-styled guest room from the superior room with its queen bed overlooking Via Gesù, the deluxe rooms with hand-loomed carpets and designer fabrics, decorated in tones of celadon, gold or terra cotta to the more spacious Premium Room and Premium Room – Garden View.

There are ten varieties of suite ideal for both business trips and leisure stays, all offering separate sleeping and living spaces from the entry level Junior Suite at 48 – 55 square metres of space right up to the 177 square metre Presidential Suite. Some of the suites offer balconies, high ceilings and tall windows with an historic feel with polished parquet floors complementing heritage elements. Of particular note is the Fresco Suite, named for its magnificent fresco ceiling and walls painted centuries ago and the Cloister Suite featuring original vaulted ceilings and French windows framing a hardwood foyer, an eye-catching marble bar and a tri-level layout that allows for privacy in the bedroom. Other suite types include the Fashion Suite offering a fresh and inviting modern design with a private outside terrace for relaxing and dining, the Renaissance Suite with an original stucco ceiling to the Designer Suite with its contemporary Italian design featuring purple and red velvet fabrics and made-to-measure linens, hardwood floors and custom-loomed carpets with step-out balconies.

The crème de la crème accommodation is the Presidential Suite and The Penthouse Suite with its private rooftop terrace offering unique views over Milan. 

The Presidential Suite offers a living room with a black-marble fireplace under historic, vaulted wooden ceilings and Italian antiques with a private jetted tub or steam room, ideal for relaxing after a tiring day of sightseeing. Decorated with chocolate coloured velvets and gold and peach silks, the Presidential Suite can become a two bedroom space by combining with a Premium Room King. The sophisticated Penthouse Suite on the other hand offers an eclectic combination of furnishings and colours with that outdoor garden space overlooking Central Milan and the Duomo. It also features a dedicated lift and kitchen under the eaves.

The Spa opened in 2012 designed by Patricia Urquiola in a sleek and restful contemporary design which complements the convent’s nineteenth century vaulted ceilings. It is particularly effective with the minimalist 14 metre indoor lap pool which just shouts sanctuary.  There are seven treatment rooms including a manicure/pedicure or massage room, a wet treatment room and a VIP couples’ suite complete with spa bath. There is a wide range of beauty treatments including the exclusive Gold Fashion in Milan by Black Pearl offering the indulgence of a 24-carat gold mask alongside a bespoke body massage with either 24 carat gold massage oil or a 24-carat divine body butter. Beauty products include Swiss Perfection, Sodashi and Olivier Claire skincare lines.

Beauty lessons are also available in-room together with in-room spa treatments if required.

For a night on the town or to ensure your brood look their best, head to the Rossano Ferretti Hair Salon for some Italian style with bambinos welcomed.

For those who like to keep trim when travelling, there is a 160 square metre Fitness Centre with TechnoGym equipment a circuit training from Arke, free weights area and Kinesis Personal Heritage System. Personal trainers are available on request alongside Nike Coaching programmes with yoga sessions also available.

Other on-site facilities include babysitting and in-room child amenities – Four Seasons as a brand always welcomes children with open arms and lots of in-room goodies, mini bathrobes and slippers. Personal shoppers can help you find some Milanese gems with after hours shopping at local boutiques, a custom shopping itinerary and purchases delivered to your room.

Chocolate lovers will enjoy indulging in the hotel’s Chocolate Room created in 2007. It is a room entirely decorated in chocolate with a new theme each year with past creations including a cinema set and a chocolate factory. More recently Hotel Pastry Chef Daniele Bonzi has created a tropical forest as a nod to the origins of cocoa, featuring jungle-inspired vegetation and décor with exotic animals all made from chocolate along with the room’s walls. Open during the Sunday Brunch, the Chocolate Room can be booked for private events such as a family chocolate breakfast or a sweet afternoon tea filled with all chocolate creations.

This being a Four Seasons hotel, excursions a-plenty can be arranged including a fast-paced jaunt over to the serene mountain-rimmed Lake Como courtesy of either a vintage car or a private helicopter. Alternatively head to Franciacorta, the wine region, around an hour’s drive east of Milan to witness the winemaking process first-hand and to sample some of Italy’s finest sparkling wines. As the saying goes at Four Seasons, “we can arrange virtually anything”.

For art lovers, guests must not forget to visit Leonardo’s Last Supper housed in Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church and Dominican convent and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you are a golfer who just cannot stay away from the courses, a local club is just 40 minutes away, courtesy of the concierge.

There was eager anticipation in the hospitality industry when Four Seasons opened Four Seasons Hotel Milano, its first continental Europe property back in 1993, setting the bar soaringly high for future openings. Fragments of frescos, stone carvings and stucco ceilings still remain, sensitively intertwined into a classic Milanese design scheme with all the accoutrements required for a luxury traveller today.

Accessed via a discreet entrance on Via Gesù and spread over three connecting buildings with rooms set around a recently refreshed cloistered courtyard of ivory parasols and greenery, this little gem in the heart of the city has stories galore to discover – legend has it that the local stone quarry still holds surplus half-finished pillars resting peacefully if ever required, dating back to the 15th century when the building first opened as a convent.

Stories like that are gold-dust and add to the mystique of properties such as this perfect hotel in the heart of Milan’s bustling city. The later additions of the spa, the unique Chocolate Room, the future raw bar perfect for long summer evenings with a DJ spinning decks, combined with Four Seasons’ legendary yet unobtrusive service levels, have only added to its legend.

The restaurants and public areas have recently been given a new look and feel with a modernist feel which complements the centuries old building. Created by designer Patricia Urquiola, these areas are now furnished with classics from Italian brands such as Cassina, Poliform, Moroso, Poltrona Frau and Stepevi. She has also used carefully curated contemporary artworks to interplay with the ancient walls of the convent.

The hotel’s main Restaurant Zelo just off the lobby is a beautifully contemporary space with a bank of folding windows overlooking the former convent’s herb gardens, now a graceful retreat for hotel residents. Flooded with light and stylishly decorated with modernist furnishings and feature lighting, the restaurant serves both light meals during the day and gourmet dishes at night, showcasing Executive Chef Fabrizio Borraccino’s culinary principles: thoughtful Italian cuisine with meticulously sourced local ingredients. An example signature dish is “Riso Gallo” Carnaroli Gran Riserva robiola goat cheese, peas, candied lemon and Sicilian capers. Locally sources ingredients include Caviale “Calvisius” Tradion Prestige from Vincenza (Veneto), Pastificio “Gentile” from Gragnano (Campania), “Moncucco” farm from Vercelli (Piedmont) or “Paolo Petrilli” farm from Lucera (Apulia).

Camino, named for its 18th century fireplace, is another laid back venue where guests may enjoy all day dining, a glass of wine or some of Italy’s finest sparkling wines from their custom wine coolers in a comfortable setting to the backbeat of a live DJ set.

The cloister garden with seating areas for both Zelo and the bar, Stilla, has recently been renewed by landscape architect and agronomist Flavio Pollano, an expert in garden design. In warmer months, guests will be entertained by live DJ sets with a future raw bar offering a menu of summer fresh dishes perfect for long summer evenings.  

Stilla is positioned just off the lobby features a circular bar and elegant cognac leather armchairs and velvet seating. Opening out onto the cloister garden, Stilla is perfect for a morning coffee, a quick bite or an innovative cocktail … or two. The menu features everything from Aeropress American coffee to a classic club sandwich to the town’s best Negroni Sbagliato to light dishes and salads using sustainable and seasonal ingredients.

The hotel actively engage in sustainable practices and Four Seasons is committed to improve and elevate our environmental initiatives. One of the first steps was to eliminate plastic straws and single-use plastic food and beverage take away items (instead we are using degradable ones) and plastic laundry presentation items.  Other activities include but are not limited to selective waste collection (plastic, glass, paper, used batteries, Nespresso capsules, chemical bottles, used oil, food waste) and carbon emissions tracking by switching to renewable energy sources and optimizing the energy consumption of the existing systems.