Hotel Bulgari in Milan proves that luxury and comfort have no limits

The first Bulgari hotel was opened in Milan on Via Privata Fratelli Gabba on May 18, 2004. This event marked the entry of the Bulgari Group - one of the largest players in the luxury segment - into the hotel sector.

After 10 years, the hotel celebrated its anniversary with the opening of renovated rooms and recreation areas, a new SPA and culinary treats.

The classic, but at the same time modern design of such famous architects as Antonio Citterio and Patricia Ville was updated with cream linen wallpaper, new furniture from the collections of Antonio Citterio Flexform and Maxalto, draperies from Enzo degli Angiuoni, modular B&B libraries and Altai plush rugs. All rooms are decorated with jewelry designs from Bulgari, and the suites feature a new collection of art and design books.

All stairwells have archival sketches of the famous Giardinetto Real spire in the 1950s, as well as images of such celebrities as Monica Vitti, Sophia Loren and Anita Ekberg.

One of the most widespread reconstructions took place in the SPA, where a treatment room, a sauna and an outdoor jacuzzi were completed. The hotel also began working with consultants from La Mer to create spa cosmetics for skin care.

Three key points that distinguish the hotel from others are its unique location, modern design and a variety of services, the highest quality of which has always been distinguished by Bulgari. The hotel was built in one of the most prestigious areas of Milan, which is rich in its cultural heritage and full of opportunities for luxury shopping. The hotel is located in the beautiful area of Brera, in the territory of a private garden of 4000 m2, next to the Botanical Garden.

The hotel consists of 58 rooms and suites, most of which have magnificent views of the garden. Impeccable standards of service for each guest are carried out by a staff of more than 100 people under the direction of General Manager Attilio Marro. A restaurant, a bar with a terrace, a relaxation area in the garden, a banquet room, a cigar room and SPA were designed in such a way as to make them places of constant leisure, including local residents. Two meeting rooms for up to 35 people and a banquet room are available for meetings or private gatherings.

DESIGN

The Bulgari Hotel is a delicate balance between the rigorous design of the space and the richness of the atmosphere, made possible with such heavy and hard materials as black marble from Zimbabwe and bronze. The building, located on Via Gabba, dates from the 1950s. The design sensations of that era, combined with the modern design of a street built over the past thirty years, underline the hotel’s graphic composition. The white marble façade creates an exquisite and light mood that contrasts with the massive design of neighboring stone buildings. The windows, framed by a crowning cornice of black granite and outlined by painted oak, are a visual game of contrasts of the restored part of the facade of the 18th century.

When guests approach the building, the garden can be seen through a wall of green spaces. From the narrow and tall windows of the lobby there is a view of a high sliding door, protected by a massive cantilever roof made of bronze. Mirrored window panes reflect a decorative garden, while
transparent - a magnificent sequence of five-meter interiors. The use of black granite and Burmese teak create an elegant, albeit informal atmosphere that blends perfectly with the garden, which in itself is a continuation
interiors. In addition to the transparency of the façade, created through a combination of bronze and glass, the black granite gives the interiors a monumental style. In the living room, the fireplace is decorated with images from the Bulgari archives.

Located at the end of the garden, the restaurant impresses with its unusual domed ceiling, suspended above a large oval black resin balcony that opens onto the terrace and garden.

In the SPA you can see the golden stone from the city of Vicenza, lined with random patterns, green glass in the window frames and a spectacular bathtub decorated with gold and emerald mosaics. The result of the reconstruction is a modern and rigorous design that creates an atmosphere of oriental idyll and well-being, perfect for SPA.

White and black colors are repeated in the corridors of the hotel, and graphite oak and soft fabrics are used on the walls. The doors of the rooms are thick and heavy; they create an acoustically isolated and completely private environment, providing a view of the quiet garden, which is almost impossible for the center of Milan.

All rooms are organized in a logical sequence of spaces, from a perfectly proportional entrance to a bathroom with garden views. The bathroom is dominated by the pale color of bleached oak, and lighter shades of natural fabrics provide warmth. The bright bathroom, where a black granite bathtub, sink and shower take a huge place, is a bright contrast with the light paleness of the bedroom.

On the top floor there is a suite, which is the most open, but at the same time the most inaccessible area in the hotel. An almost three-meter gallery protects the completely transparent facade and creates an open space in the garden with breathtaking views of the city.

The idea of a city villa is enhanced by using natural teak on the floor, which is laid in such a way as to unite the space inside and out. In the living room a huge place is occupied by a monumental neoclassical fireplace made of Brera stone, and the bathroom with a bath carved from one block of Turkish stone resembles open bathrooms in the eastern resorts.

At Bulgari Hotels, the design of every detail has been carefully thought out. The hotel in the center of Milan is an example of a diverse design, in the preparation of which every element has been studied: from door handles to the whole facade, from every piece of furniture to desktop stationery, from architecture to glass and fabrics. The logical design makes the hotel atmosphere understandable and thought out to the smallest detail. Everything that you can see or touch is part of a single concept based on technical details thought out to the smallest detail, so that the form and essence of the service is ideally integrated into uncompromising quality.

GARDEN

The Bulgari Hotel Garden Reconstruction Project provided an opportunity to rediscover one of Milan's few historical gardens.

Previously, the garden belonged to the monastery. Over the years, it was divided into small sections before becoming a hospitable and quiet garden lounge in the 19th century, a period followed by its inexorable decline in botanical savagery.

During the restoration project, the Milanese-Lombard style of the garden and its surroundings were emphasized. The purpose of the restoration was to restore a huge number of gardens of historic villas in a modern way.

Based on this, a choice was made of trees and shrubs that are characteristic of such historic parks and gardens. Some of the trees were already present in Bulgari's garden. Trees and shrubs were organized to create a number of open-air rooms according to a single plan.

There are four small terraced areas in front of the restaurant: three of them are planted with grass.

In the first teak rest zone, twenty-five ornamental trees were planted in large pots. In the second - a lawn shaded by ancient horse chestnuts. The third recreation area offers five “relaxation areas” under the shadow of umbrella-shaped palm trees with white wisteria curling around their trunks. The fourth zone consists of camellia bushes along with magnolias and root.

Journey through the garden ends at Dom Perignon, a private bar surrounded by tall red beech hedges.

The path winds among hydrangeas between annual and perennial flowers under three weeping willows.

Architect Sophie Agatha Ambroise.

A RESTAURANT

Italian traditions, based on pungent tastes and the consistency of dishes, combined with excellent seasonal ingredients and exquisite techniques, are key features of the cuisine in the Bulgari's restaurant, where original interpretations of classic dishes are offered with a modern touch.

The menu is characterized by harmony and contrasts, whimsicality and constant aesthetic research of colors and volumes. The hotel offers a variety of dishes for different periods of the day, from fresh, quick and light lunches to more sophisticated dishes for dinner. Food is served either on tables with Bulgari cutlery, or in a bar overlooking a beautiful garden.

Breakfast includes a variety of options: from the sumptuous Bulgari breakfast with a selection of juices and jams, eggs with Iranian caviar, champagne and lobster to a very fresh Mediterranean breakfast based on olive oil, tomatoes and fresh fruits.

Classic Italian snacks and cocktails are interesting and delight in their variety. Room service is available around the clock.

The choice of wine is diverse: from wine tasting from the best Italian brands to the study of interesting and new types in different wineries. The offer concludes with an excellent selection of champagne and sparkling wines, as well as spirits from such elite brands as, for example, St. James's rum from the Antilles, dated 1885.

All year round, the chef chooses the best ingredients for the dishes of the Bulgari Hotel in Milan, which embodies all the freshness and colors of the season.

SPA

The newly refurbished SPA at Bulgari Hotel was conceived as a sanctuary for the mind and soul within a busy city. New spaces include suites with a mosaic steam shower, a marble steam room and a Swedish sauna with eucalyptus aroma, and a jacuzzi. Together with well-known cosmetic brands, the hotel has developed three exclusive lines of luxury products for SPA: La Mer with its legendary elixir Miracle Broth, 100% certified Amala and Sothy's collection of men's cosmetics.

The renovation only improved the elegant architecture of the SPA, offering a unique setting that offers guests the opportunity to rest and relax. At the same time, the modern design of the SPA creates a bewitching variety of the ancient philosophy of well-being that underlies modern treatment methods.

To slow down the fast rhythm of the city and create a pleasant atmosphere of relaxation, SPA specialists at Bulgari created exclusive treatments and products with pure and completely natural ingredients, such as essential oils and plant extracts.

Among the main products, guests are offered an exclusive face cream from La Mer. The procedure using cosmetics for the face by the star Joanna Cech transforms the face and neck, softens and prepares the skin with Miracle Broth, an invaluable extract that is desired all over the world and is offered exclusively in this SPA. Individual treatment methods target vulnerable areas of the face to help restore skin energy, restore its former elasticity and visibly renew.

INTERESTING FACTS

The first mention of the original garden plan of the Bulgari Hotel dates back to 1300 years. The garden is first mentioned in the 1305 treatise by Piero de Cressenza De Ruralium Commodorum.
During the construction and reconstruction of the hotel, twice as much marble was used than is usually used by hotels of the same category.
The fireplace in the living room is made of black granite from Zimbabwe and weighs 15 tons.
In the lounge there is a small library with exclusively recommended books.