First In: The Carlton, a Rocco Forte hotel, Milan

Why book?

To base yourself in an elegant, bijou and understated new hotel fresh off a 60-million euro reimagining in the heart of Milan’s Quadrilatero della Moda fashion district.

Set the scene

Milan may not have the fairytale beauty of some other Italian cities, and nor does The Carlton at first glance, but this is a hotel rooted in quintessential Milanese style. There’s a solidity and sensibleness to this city, a feeling that unnecessary exuberance and embellishment are for others, and it’s a mood that carries through to the newest hotel in the Rocco Forte portfolio. Interior design by Philip Vergeylen and Paolo Moschino, in collaboration with Rocco Forte Hotels’ creative director Olga Polizzi, is restrained in public areas, and a little more colourful in the accommodations. It feels very suited to its location, neither flashy nor extrovert, but with a calm, quiet confidence and respect for quality and craftsmanship.

The backstory

The Carlton Milan opens after a five-year renovation of the former Baglioni hotel, taking up residence in two combined buildings. One is a former private home dating back to the late 1800s, and the other was built as the original Carlton hotel back in the 1960s, filling a gap left by World War II bombing. The new hotel is the latest for family-run Rocco Forte hotels, co-founded by Sir Rocco Forte and his sister Lady Olga Polizzi in 1996, a group that includes The Balmoral in Edinburgh, Hotel de Russie in Rome, and Villa Igiea in Sicily.

The rooms

There’s a special kind of Goldilocks-like joy when you fall into a new hotel bed that’s not too hard, not too soft, but just right. I practically collapse into mine at after a few nights’ broken sleep in an uncomfortable hotel in another city, and enjoy undisturbed slumber here. But even without being sleep-deprived, there’s something about the rooms here that encourages deep relaxation. At 34 square metres my Deluxe Room isn’t the largest in the hotel, but it’s the perfect size to feel spacious yet cosy. It also opens onto the interior courtyard making it completely silent at night, something blissfully unexpected in the middle of a busy city. Top suites lead out onto their own terraces and will really come into their own in the warmer months, with sofas, sunbeds and parasols.

There’s a little more colour to the rooms than other parts of the hotel. Each is entered through spaces covered in wallpapers inspired by the Bauhausian designs of printmaker Anni Albers, hand-painted in the workshops of San Patrignano, a recovery and rehabilitation community in Emilia Romagna that supports marginalised individuals through craft and artisanal work. Antiques are layered with bespoke furniture pieces that take inspiration from Mid-Century Italian architect Paolo Buffa, featuring rich textures and soft leather. Carpets add warmth, softness and more colour, from camouflage-esque pieces in cream, lichen and burgundy to Mondrian-style blocks of ochre, mustard and moss. Spacious bathrooms manage to be bright even without natural light sources, with fixtures made of pale Carrara marble and rich green Verde Issorie stone. Towels are some of the fluffiest I’ve ever wrapped myself in, made by family-owned Milanese linen brand Pedersoli. Amenities come courtesy of Irene Forte, the B-Corp-certified skincare brand launched by Sir Rocco’s daughter, made with ingredients like pistachio, almond and prickly pear.

As a tea-drinker I’m also delighted to find good-sized mugs in the minibar, designed and made for the hotel by Ginori, so I can drink proper cups of tea in the morning, perhaps a nod to the Rocco Forte hotel group’s British roots.

Food and drink

Spiga, the hotel’s main restaurant, a small, cosy dining room with circular banquettes that provide space for intimate conversation while offering views of the dining room’s action, is set to open on 18th December 2025. Until it does, dining is limited to the light-filled winter garden space of Cafe Floretta, snacks in the Carlton Bar, and room service. Come spring, the Carlton Garden will open onto the street, offering a convivial openair spot for dining and people-watching.

The hotel’s food and beverage programme is led by chef Fulvio Pierangelini, Rocco Forte’s creative director of food, whose culinary ethos focuses on refined simplicity and respect for local, seasonal ingredients. In Cafe Floretta, Pierangelini deftly transforms autumn vegetables into delicate, flavourful dishes like artichokes alla Romana and cauliflower steak topped with a perfectly balanced caper hollandaise. Pasta dishes, like linguine with lemon and courgette flowers, are perfectly executed, and the classic veal Milanese is sure to become a guest favourite. In the bar, expertly crafted drinks range from old favourites to cocktails inspired by decades that defined the city, and creative signatures like the fiery Spicy Fifty, a blend of vanilla vodka, honey and red chili pepper that packs a warming punch.

The spa

Like the lovely bathroom amenities, the spa is the creation of Irene Forte, a soothing sanctuary for urban wellness with three treatment rooms in shades of burnt sienna, moss green and petrol blue. Massages, body therapies and facials are expertly performed, and the adjacent nail bar and Forte Vita Bar offer express high-tech facials and hair services, leaving even the most frazzled tourist looking stylish enough to join the Milanese for dinner. The small gym has pretty much everything you need for a workout on the go, and there are also steam, sauna and experience showers.

The area

The Carlton sits in Milan’s fashion district, and some of the city’s most stylish boutiques are right on the doorstep. The hotel’s rear entrance, accessed through a bloom-filled flower shop by Vincenzo Dascanio, leads out onto Milan’s most elegant shopping street, the pedestrianised Via della Spiga, home to outposts of Dolce and Gabbana, Moschino and Elisabetta Franchi, as well as smaller stores like Sermoneta for classic leather gloves and Borsalino for iconic Italian headwear. Ask the Concierge and they’ll also tell you about hard-to-find creative houses and artisans making masterpieces in understated studios around the city. But it’s not just about shopping here. Many of Milan’s major cultural sites – the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Teatro alla Scala – are within walking distance, as are numerous museums and galleries. This is an excellent strolling city, and the hotel’s location makes it easy to stride out for the day.

The service

I stay just two weeks after opening when the team are clearly finding their feet, but they are doing so with warmth, humour and grace. The housekeepers greet me with genuine care, the bartenders create cocktails with panache and smiles, and the doormen and women jauntily pose for pictures in their thick Batman-style winter cloaks.

For families

Interconnecting rooms, some with interconnecting outdoor terraces, offer multiple options for families of different types and sizes. Rooms come with kid-size slippers and bathrobes, and children can collect stickers from properties in the group in the Rocco Forte Hotels Passport.

Eco effort

I didn’t spy any single-use plastic during my stay, and the hotel has installed rooftop solar panels, particular handy for heating water for hot showers and baths on chilly winter nights. Further initiatives will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.

Accessibility

The hotel has four wheelchair-accessible Superior Rooms. Public areas are designed to accommodate wheelchair-users.