Best Boutique Hotels in Milan

Armani Hotel Milano is a 5-star escape and embodies the Milanese essence of sophistication and style. There are plenty of options when it comes to the spacious guestrooms and suites including private balconies and terraces and featuring the exclusive Armani Presidential Two-Bedroom Suite with its rooftop terrace and spectacular skyline views. Exquisite dishes are on offer at the incredible Armani/Ristorante and Armani/Bamboo Bar with its unique Alchemy of Flavours menu – designed to take guests on an unforgettable gastronomic journey. Serenity is achievable in this vibrant city thanks to the Armani/Spa and its sensational treatments. There is also a high-tech gym which is open 24 hours a day. Armani Hotel Milano prides itself on elegant event spaces for hosting anything from a business meeting to a private wedding celebration.

Bulgari Milan is arguably the most outwardly glamorous hotel in the city, as the building itself is a renovated 18th-century palace. It lies around 1km from Milan Cathedral, on its own private street in the downtown area. Standard rooms offer free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen television, marble bathrooms and either garden or courtyard views, and upgraded rooms include a walk-in closet. Meanwhile, high-class suites include a living area and a dining area. Among the hotel’s other features are a 4,000-square-meter private garden and a traditional Italian restaurant.

The hottest new hotel to hit Milan’s streets (specifically the desirable and arty Brera quarter), Casa Baglioni is the work of Italian architects Spagnulo & Partners and the latest addition to the Baglioni Collection. It takes inspiration from the Milanese design era of the 1960s and includes a curated selection of art pieces, rotating exhibitions and bespoke furnishings by big hitters in the world of interiors. The property accommodates 30 bedrooms and suites, a common living area, a wine cellar offering private tastings and a restaurant by the Michelin-starred chef Claudio Sadler.

Found only 100 meters from the Duomo, The Gray Sina is a five-star design hotel with an impressive Art Nouveau façade. Inside are 21 rooms and suites, decorated in a sophisticated contemporary style that utilises steel, glass, silk and natural woods, offset by daring touches, such as animal print textiles. Some are especially unique with features including suspended beds, private gyms and Turkish baths. It has three places to eat and drink; Le Noir restaurant for modern and delicate dishes in a cleverly lit dining room akin to a black container; the on-trend GBAR, and Aria, The Gray Sina’s alfresco lounge.

This boutique guesthouse follows an ethos of authenticity and personalised service, catering to a new generation of travellers. It comes from Neri Baccheschi Berti, whose family launched the award-winning Castello di Vicarello in Tuscany, and it only recently became a hotel; prior to this, it had been the Legnano racing bike factory and the Baccheschi Berti family’s fashion brand studio/showroom. Guests can curl up in the sitting room with a good book from Vico Milano’s curated library, work out in the gym and spend evenings in the hotel’s speakeasy bar, sampling Baccheschi Berti award-winning organic wines and nibbling on classic Italian snacks.

So named as it’s housed in a perfume factory, Magna Pars L’Hotel à Parfum features olfactory motifs throughout its spaces. As such, each of its 60 subtly decorated suites takes on a floral, fruity, aromatic, woody or resinous theme. Some bedrooms have their own bars, libraries, seating areas with chaise longue, jacuzzi baths and outdoor terraces with sun loungers; all have paintings by up-and-coming Milanese artists. The alfresco dining room has two fireplaces and a state-of-the-art open kitchen. And, when you fancy a beverage, enter the secret door (made from copper, by artists at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera) to Liquidambar.

In the buzzing Navigli district of Milan lies the modern and luxurious Aethos Milan with 32 vintage Italian-style rooms, suites and an apartment featuring original décor. The Aethos Dependance apartment is located mere steps from the main hotel building and offers charming views of the Darsena. Guests can opt to dine in the divine ZAÏA restaurant with its Mediterranean menu which has influences from all over Italy and the countries that influenced their cuisine. Be sure to stop by the The Doping Bar for an expertly crafted cocktail by one of the inventive mixologists or take part in any of the exciting events. Aethos offers a private member’s club offering benefits in their hotels and restaurants with a club location in this hotel. The hotel also boasts a fully equipped fitness centre and diverse private event space options.