20121 Travel Guide
Design Hotels
Don't Wear a Skirt On The Gray Hotel's Crazy Floating Stairs
November 14, 2008 at 11:55 AM | 3 Comments
Contemporist featured a few shots of the 21-room Gray Hotel in Milan, designed by Florence architect Guido Ciompi, that totally turned us on. All 21 of the hotel's guestrooms are unique and, if you ask us, pretty stunning — we do love us some design hotels.
But a photo of a particular feature caught our eye. Behold: the famed floating stairs (which have been making the rounds on the Internet this week) in one of the rooms.
As always, we have several questions: do we see a handrail? We're clumsy and, well, we know we wouldn't make it up these stairs without some sort of an incident. Second: as a Contemporist commenter so eloquently pointed out, "Not to be prudish, but couldn’t someone sitting at the bar/table see up m’lady’s skirt?" Um, so true — though we're pretty sure this is a guestroom and not a public bar so it may be less of an issue. Thank goodness.
Hotel Butlers
Seven-Star Hotels Have Perfect Personal Butlers
February 26, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments
At an average price of around $2,300 a night, the seven-star Town House Galleria in Milan has got to be fairly exclusive. And it is. Every guest even gets allocated their own personal butler, who is responsible for all manner of duties designed to make your stay more comfortable.
Basically, your butler will do anything for you. Craving a particular kind of chocolate bar? They'll run out and grab one for you, or a whole bag full. Needing tickets so you can skip the queue at any Milan attraction? No worries at all.
The butlers at Town House Galleria are also available to take care of all the needs of your small dog (large ones, apparently, are not included).
Luxury Hotels
Seven Stars (Maybe) Means Not Unpacking Your Bags Yourself
April 19, 2007 at 10:44 AM | 0 Comments
We were sceptical last year when we previewed Milan's Townhouse Galleria. Seven stars? How can any hotel be perfect enough to get seven stars?
To get things straight, the Townhouse in Milan doesn't yet have its seven stars, but it claims to be the first hotel in the world to have applied to Swiss accreditors SGS to get them. Apart from having (we admit) a fairly luxurious looking website, it also claims to be "a precious jewel in the crown of Italy's fashion city" and to have "unparalleled ambience". They also provide quite impressive services like playing your favorite music in the luxury car that collects you from the airport, sending a pianist direct to your suite if you want, and providing a butler to unpack your luggage for you.
Inside the suites, the accessories are--if they live up to the website--no less impressive. Including, they say, "the best Italian coffee machines and the most sought after books", seven-star luxury means everything you want should be at your fingertips. Even for kids, apparently: illustrated fairy tale books, adventure games and jigsaw puzzles are amongst the kit they can provide. Suites can cost up to $5300 a night so we're probably talking pretty privileged kids here. Since the Townhouse Galleria opened last December, none of its guests have left reviews at TripAdvisor--is that because their WiFi doesn't work or 7-star people are not the type to share their experiences?
[Photo: Malcolmm ]
Related Stories:
· Townhouse Galleria reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Future WiFi Hell in the World's Next 7-Star Hotel? [HotelChatter]
· Milan Hotel Aiming For Ultra-Deluxe Seven-Star Rating [e-hotelier]
Milan Hotel Reviews
At Hotel Straf, the Concrete is Warm and the Lobby, So Cooool
August 4, 2006 at 8:50 AM | 0 Comments
This week we continue our series on European hotels. Since Vogue and Versace have apparently heralded the return of the supermodel, we decided to check in on Italy's fashion capital, Milan, for some cool places to stay and at least one to avoid. But if you have any suggestions for us on what to hit up or to stay far far far away from, let us know.
Hotel Straf is just about the farthest thing away from a traditional Italian hotel.
The hotel's "concept" is to partner "extreme" high-tech functionality" and a minimalist feel, with guestrooms that have a warm intimate atmosphere, having been designed from innovate materials like quarry rough slate, burnished brass, iron and concrete. Which is interesting because we never would describe the slate or concrete as "warm."
Fulfilling their committment to high-tech, inside each of the 64 rooms is high-speed internet access, LCD TVs, a laptop-size safe and movie and music channels on demand.
Situated close to the duomo, the hotel also features a bar/restaurant that serves food during the day and has set aside a couple of well-being rooms where you can relax with some chromotherapy and aromatherapy treatments. Not quite the hotel spa you are used to. Here's one quest's take on the place:
The first impression about entrance and lobby was "so COOL, all black and concrete. Reception staff young and polite, next door a nice typical coffee bar, part of the hotel but opened to passers-by.
When we made later our way to the room, we found it as cozy as the rest of the hotel: modern and minimal, all black & white and concrete walls. The bathroom, well hidden behind a wooden wall, was small but with everything we needed and so cooool....This hotel is indeed a design hotel!
Price is not low, but it is in the heart of Milan...Only recommendation: if you like traditional old style hotels, stay away!
In case you missed our other stories this week on Milan, here they are:
· To and Fro Machines Will Keep You Awake at the Gray Hotel
· Milano's Budget Option
· Where the Famous People Stay in Milan
· Hotel Spadari Could Be Inspiration for Gramercy Park Hotel
Image via Uberdilly/Flickr
Related Stories:
· Hotel Straf reviews [TripAdvisor]
Milan Hotel Reviews
To and Fro Machines Will Keep You Awake at the Gray Hotel
August 3, 2006 at 8:57 AM | 0 Comments
This week we continue our series on European hotels. Since Vogue and Versace have apparently heralded the return of the supermodel, we decided to check in on Italy's fashion capital, Milan, for some cool places to stay and at least one to avoid. But if you have any suggestions for us on what to hit up or to stay far far far away from, let us know.
The Gray Hotel is a luxe design hotel centrally located to all the sights of Milan, with 21 guest rooms (2 of which have private gyms!) and hip furnishings. We have to admit, looking at some of the hotel pictures got us excited.
Which is why the review of the place has us so disappointed.
The location is indeed superb, just minutes away from il Duomo, but along with the central location comes noise. Not just normal chattering...noise from the cleaning teams that clearly make this area the sparkliest tourist area in Europe. The machines start up at midnight and seem to continue to and fro, to and fro until at least 3am. I am positive it was only one side of the hotel that suffered (my side) but basically rooms 105 and neighbouring 104 and 106 will have had equally sleepless nights so make sure you ask to NOT have these rooms. Totally ruined my entire stay.
Things did not end there with the cleaning crews. The TVs only have one English channel, there's a DVD player but you have to bring your own DVD, a "poor" room service menu, a bad shower drain and a tiny hotel bar. But perhaps the real measure of how bad the guest's stay was that even though work fronted the 330 Euros a night bill, he won't even think of returning.
Related Stories:
· Gray Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
Milan Hotel Reviews
Where the Famous People Stay in Milan
August 1, 2006 at 9:11 AM | 0 Comments
This week we continue our series on European hotels. Since Vogue and Versace have apparently heralded the return of the supermodel, we decided to check in on Italy's fashion capital, Milan, for some cool places to stay and at least one to avoid. But if you have any suggestions for us on what to hit up or to stay far far far away from, let us know.
Looking for a pricey getaway in Milan?
The Grand Hotel Et De Milan is the hotel in Milan that combines luxury with history and counts famous people--mostly from the opera and art world--among its guests for over 100 years.
The hotel originally opened in 1863 and was a big favorite of composer Guiseppe Verdi. Though its fourth floor was later destroyed during World War II, the hotel has undergone two reconstructions--one immediately after the war ended and another back in the early 90s. Among the famous people who have stayed at the hotel, often called the Albergo di Milano, recently? Mostly fashionistas and filmmakers like Roman Polansky, Roberto Begnini, Helmut Newton, Sofia Loren, Jean Paul Gautier, Claudia Schiffer, and watch out housekeeping, Naomi Campbell.
Although the booking site says a classic room starts at 300 Euros, it's more like over 400 and breakfast is not included, unless there is a package for it. Room choices are the smallish classic room, a slightly large deluxe room, then junior suites (either the Maria Callas or the Tamara de Lempicka, a Polish painter) and the regular suites, like the Guiseppe Verdi suite.
The location is prime on the Via Manzoni and opposite the Via Montenapoleone, which is right around the corner from La Scala, the Cathedral, and within walking distance to the musuems and the Financial District. And if you're going to Milan to drop some dollars, ask the hotel to send a chauffered car to pick you up at the airport.
Inside the hotel is a bar and two restaraunts, Caruso and Don Carlos. The latter which has a wine cellar of "prestigous wines" that might be worth a look. When you're done gorging on Italian food, the hotel has a fitness center on its second floor with views of the city.
The reviews on this place are short and sweet, with almost everyone praising the hotel's location, staff and comfortable rooms. And though there has to be something wrong with this place, the only big negative seems to be the price. But as fashion insiders would say, If you got it, work it.
Related Stories:
· Grand Hotel et de Milan [TripAdvisor]
