Five-star escapism in Italy’s fashion capital at Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan

In the world’s fast-paced fashion capital, Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan is a permanent catwalk – and never more so than in Fashion Week — when the 301 rooms, 44 suites, and the excellent restaurants and bars of this landmark hotel becomes the elegant backdrop to some of fashion’s biggest players. 

And what a place to play at fashion. Looking out over the city at sunset from the tenth floor penthouse terrace or decorously descending the sumptuously carpeted and marbled main staircase beneath the five-tier Murano-glass chandelier… you do feel like you’re starring in your very own fashion show. 

The Dorchester Collection’s exclusive five-star address, in this most exciting part of the global style capital, has always been at the centre of Milan’s fashion and celebrity scene. Its location between the verdant Piazza della Repubblica and the future-facing Porta Nuova district with its glittering high-rise towers – “perfectly positioned less than ten minutes by carriage from the world-famous La Scala opera house” when it was built nearly a century ago – is still the best in town.

Related: 24 Hours in Knightsbridge – a guide to London’s luxury fashion havenOnly a short hop from the city’s famous wedding cake Duomo, and shopping mecca Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – made simple and stylish by the complimentary ten-minute limousine service to and from the hotel – it is the most desirable address. 

The Principe, as insiders know it, is the ultimate place to see and be seen, with super-luxe but invitingly intimate social spaces.

Il Salotto, the elegant open-plan lounge and dining room at the heart of the hotel, is an all-day eating and greeting space, dotted with comfortable seating and low lighting. Before dinner, take a seat in the ultra-luxe Bar Principe. Bag one of the wraparound banquettes for optimum people spotting and work your way through intriguing aperitivi expertly curated from the inventive cocktail list by bar manager/magician Daniele Celli.

The hotel’s flagship Acanto restaurant, meanwhile – named after the leaf dubbed by the ancient Romans as the symbol for heaven – is helmed by culinary maestro Matteo Gabrielli, who honed his skills under Heston Blumenthal in London.His ethos is unpretentious ingredients, elevated – as showcased in our rich parsley risotto with cod fish and dried lemon zest (a riff on a cucina povera dish from his home region of Lombardy), and deceptively simple but utterly delicious dishes of vegetables with hummus and feta; and sea bass with butter potatoes (both brought to life with sauces served theatrically at the table, and other witty additions such as chia-seed crisps in the shape of seaweed).

Brought in from the open-plan kitchen and served on sculptural ceramics against table linen shot through subtly with gold, with Murano chandeliers overhead twinkling with the hotel’s signature red and blue over the marble floor, the whole effect is, quite simply, dazzling. (Breakfast, by the way, is served in the same space, quite the most magnificent spread of cooked offerings, exquisite pastries and freshest fruit and juices – fashion week staples – plus the best coffee in Milan).  

Related: How Scottsdale, Arizona became the hub of true New West cultureAll three stunning spaces are made to showcase the host of supermodels, stylists and designers who descend when the fashion show comes to town. And they are following in famous footsteps. In its nearly century-long history the Principe has played host to everyone from Madonna to the Beckhams and One Direction.

And while these modern guests effortlessly access their guestrooms with electronic keyfobs to glide into their sumptuous living spaces, the Concierge desk still boasts a wall of tasselled room keys that hark back to the days when Andy Warhol dined here with Raquel Welch– leaving a souvenir sketch of her on their tablecloth – and Maria Callas couldn’t get enough of her favourite eggplant-laden penne alla Norma.The late Queen Elizabeth II stayed in the £17,000-a-night Presidential Suite (as did George Clooney – who bowled a decorative ball down its luxuriously long marble entry corridor) and Gwyneth Paltrow is a fan of rooftop-level Club 10 – where you can witness that historic sunset (if you’re not quite enough of a VIP to stay in the Presidential Suite, a genius hack is to take the elevator up to this gym and spa, also on the tenth floor, and enjoy the same rarefied view as you work out and relax afterwards.) 

Everything at this jaw-dropping address feels utterly historic, wonderfully dramatic and beautifully larger than life. From the waft of welcoming fragrance (a bespoke, custom blend for each season by Culti Milano) as you sweep through the theatrically curtained revolving doors, to the 3,000-piece chandelier in the Principe Bar to bespoke, hand-drawn frescoes covering a total of 3,000sqm of the hotel’s walls and ceilings, the exquisite marquetry on the guestroom doors and the intricate marble inlay on the cool, expansive floors…

Hotel Principe di Savoia is no mere fashion fad, but enduring, eternal style, showcased to exquisite perfection. 

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