Carlton Milan opening kicks off luxury hotel group’s expansion
For decades, Rocco Forte’s hotels have been Armani travel jackets: stylish, luxurious and designed with a single point of view.
The group was founded by hotel-born brother and sister Sir Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi in the late 1990s. (The latter’s daughter, Alex Polizzi, carries on the legacy as host of the TV show. Hotel Inspectornow in its 20th season.)
Rocco Forte’s group of 15 properties across Europe, with the flagship in Rome’s Hotel de la Ville looking like a perfectly curated packing list for the world’s best-dressed. Think of Armani’s muse, Cate Blanchett: fashionable but never vulgar; expensive but not ostentatious.
As well as the Roman property with its enviable location at the top of the Spanish Steps, the portfolio also includes Hotel Amigo in Brussels, Hotel Savoy in Florence, Hotel Rome in Berlin and Brown’s Hotel in London.
The London-based company is now preparing to bring its stylish designs to a wider audience. At the end of 2023, a Middle Eastern investment fund acquired a stake in this fund and reached an agreement with an Italian real estate firm to target properties in regions aligned with its growth targets.
For travelers, this means the flashy brand, which many people have probably never heard of, will gain a higher profile, placing it firmly on the wish lists of travelers looking for a special stay.
For tangible evidence of the group’s momentum, check out Rocco Forte’s 16th hotel, the Carlton Milan. Books planned to be opened in November are now open for reservations.
This hotel, the company’s second in Milan, is located in a 19th-century palace in the city’s trendiest district, Quadrilatero della Moda, along with the Rocco Forte House, which opens in September 2024. The building, which has been carefully restored to its original glory, hosts a collection of 11 unique apartments.
It is located at the corner of Via Manzoni and Via della Spiga, while its soon-to-be sister, The Carlton Milan, is located at the intersection of Via Senate and Via della Spiga.
Cool and charming, Via della Spiga is known for its high-end fashion stores selling Gucci, Prada, Dolce e Gabbana and the like; Ideal for window shopping if brands are out of your budget.
The interiors of the Baglioni Hotel Carlton, the new version of the Carlton, are by famous designers Philip Vergeylen and Paolo Moschino, whose firms have worked on other Rocco Forte properties. Like all of the company’s hotels, the design is carried out in collaboration with Olga Polizzi, and each of the 71 rooms and suites aims to create the feeling of a private residence.
The food and wine side of the property is overseen by chef Fulvio Pierangelini, Rocco Forte’s culinary director and the force behind the famous two-Michelin-Star Tuscan restaurant Gamberi Rosso, which he closed in 2008.
The Carlton has a restaurant, cocktail bar and garden, as well as another family-run Irene Forte Spa.
Sign up for the Traveler newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.
Julietta Jameson is a freelance travel writer who’d rather be in Rome, but her hometown of Melbourne is a happy compromise.Connect via email.
