Hi Vuittonofstyle - curious as to why you dislike MO Milano? I think Luca is a great GM. Do you mind elaborating?

I had a good stay at the MO Milan last year. I arrived at 9AM in the morning and was upsell to a very nice suite for a small premium so I took it. Love the shower. F&B was high too as far as I can recall. Service good, a bit stiff though.

By contrast, I find the FS just OK. Very old worn out rooms. Not sure about the renovated suites.

Couldn't agree more with your views on MO and Parigi. We saw the Fornasetti Suite at MO, which is their 2nd best suite, and even that did not impress us. Low ceilings, small bedroom, absolutely no view and a huge amount of your space taken up with corridors. The reception area felt like a business hotel, the spa was unimpressive and the knowledge of the staff and brief service we received paled in comparison to FS.

My biggest issue with FS is, as you say, the need to have a higher suite to enjoy it. After seeing an Executive Suite for ~�2100/n and finding it uneventful, it means spending north of �3k/n for a city hotel to be in a room type that you can get for half the price at the Parigi.

The concierge team at Parigi were fantastic, but it felt somewhat that no one else there truly understood luxury; that moment where you are made to feel loved, even though you know it's ultimately all fake. But FS were immense at being better at being fake, whereas Parigi felt like most of the staff didn't really want to be there. I had a great experience when taking photos of the bar this morning, where the receptionist told me I was not allowed to do so with a professional camera. Rather than arguing the semantics of what they meant and how an iPhone 7 would have a better camera on it than most digital cameras from 5 years ago, I just went and asked for the Duty Manager to give me permission. When he authorised it, she looked like she wanted to kill me.

My girlfriend also had quite the experience in the spa, whereby an elder gentleman decided to wander around completely nude whilst going swimming and sitting in the jacuzzi. I'm not in any way saying the two are related, but she also found traces of mould in the jacuzzi. After complaining, nothing was escalated and the Duty Manager who spoke to me even admitted he wasn't aware of it. In these scenarios, service recovery is not always necessary, but knowing they took it seriously is.


Please enjoy this photo that I was banned from taking

I stayed at both Palazzo Parigi and FS this year.

While I agree with the general sentiment that the FS is a bit tired, I still liked it. The location is a bit more central than Palazzo Parigi, with shopping right at the doorstep. At the same time, the leafy courtyard provides a quiet respite away from the crowds - that was for me the highlight of the hotel. Palazzo Parigi lacks such a space.

We stayed in executive suites at both hotels. The FS can be quite a bit less pricy than the rates quoted above if you get a good deal. I don't remember the exact rates, but I think I paid ~900 EUR for the executive suite, based on a 4:3 offer and a guaranteed upgrade at booking via a FSPP agent (and this was over Easter). Still a bit more expensive than Palazzo Parigi, but not much.

The quality of the hard product was actually a bit better at FS, I found, although a renovation/update would be in order. Our executive suite had 2 full bathrooms, a separate bedroom area, a dressing room, and a full size dining table. I would agree to calling it uneventful, but it was very comfortable, and we enjoyed having the space. The executive suite at Palazzo Parigi on the other hand was basically one large room. Nicely designed, with wood floors.

The quality of soft product was a bit underwhelming at both places, I felt. We had housekeeping issues at both places. Palazzo Parigi would leave my daughter's sofa bed as a bed during the day, so we did not have a sitting area. FS, on the other hand, would not be able to do the turndown service at the requested time, so we would return to the room after dinner and the bed hadn't been made (not what you want with a tired toddler, especially not if it's two nights in a row, and despite asking twice beforehand on the second night to make sure it doesn't happen again). Concierge, valet, etc. was fine at both hotels, but nothing stood out. I took the same picture of the bar at Palazzo Parigi, without issue :-)

I also stayed in some of the other Milan hotels previously. Given the debilitating traffic especially at rush hour, I feel location is of particular importance. I would not return to Principe di Savoia based on this alone - unless you have business in the immediate surroundings, I feel the location is just not good. My favorite is probably still the Park Hyatt. Yes, it's getting a bit tired, but the location is in my opinion unbeatable, and they have rooms/suites with very nice large terraces.

Also agree on the MO. Never stayed there, but have looked at all floorplans on the website. Bedrooms appear small even in the top suites. The only option they offer if traveling with family is two connecting rooms.

I agree that Luca Finardi is a good GM. I also think that the food is very appetising and the location and privacy of the entrance is excellent.

My big problem is the accommodation - much too small. This is because the hotel was originally designed in 2007 for the business market. The 9-year gap between design and opening saw a huge sea change in the type of guests coming to Milan. Suddenly, it was the leisure market! The suites are either too small, awkwardly designed or on the wrong side of the building, with no views.

Concerning Palazzo Parigi - I believe that they have still not replaced the opening GM and that the owner is basically running the place. This explains some of the lapses in service/motivation.

That's interesting info. Thanks vuittonsofstyle.

Who's the owner of Palazzo Parigi?

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

Vuittons mentioned it upthread:

Sorry, but I can't help but laugh about this thread and the cognitive dissonance for this city's luxury hotel perceptions, in particular.

People seem to accept that both the FS and PH are "tired" in their decor, that the MO is more a business hotel with small rooms and lackluster service, that the Palazzo Parigi has consistent service issues, and the Principe Savoia is pretty nice but not central enough.

Having visited the PH, MO, and FS last fall, it was blatantly obvious that none were to the supposedly avowed standards of their brands. It also was blatantly obvious that the perception of labels are more important here in Milan--and for less reason than just about any other city that I can remember!

Sorry, but the mere Luxury Collection Excelsior Gallia puts the room size and design and decor of ALL of the above hotels to shame. It is BY FAR the most modern and beautiful hotel in town. Its service wasn't as polished as that of the FS or PH, but then it still had great service moments and good service recovery when it didn't. The MO service wasn't any better, truth be told, and the service still sounds better than that of the Palazzo Parigi. It isn't located in the "beloved" center, but you're also not stuck in the crowded center unable to get a taxi or Uber trying to get to the airport or to the many fine dining options around the city, either. If you can stomach the Principe Savoia location, then the Excelsior Gallia location is pretty comparable...but even more convenient if you are arriving by train or taking the train to the MXP airport or up to Lake Como or anywhere else in Italy!

The FS, MO, and PH aren't just tired--they all are in desperate need for renovation and overhaul. Many of the rooms and especially suites looked like it was the early 2000s. If they were in another city, everyone would be clamoring about how overrated they are. Because they are overrated.

Err...is there a mistake? FS maybe... but MO?

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4071234.html

Italians have an obsessions with labels (and ostentatious glamour) -- have your seen their fashion? Quite logo...

Park Hyatt may be tired but they have some very nice suites, and they are generous with points bookings (!). So this may be an option for some. Also pretty good track record of upgrades, et cetera. Gorka Bergareche gets conflicting opinions here and elsewhere on attitude but he has a track record of motivating his team & delivering good service. I think if you can get a good suite there, life is not too bad!

The one problem Park Hyatt has, which is also very true for FS, is that they have decided to piece together different designers for different areas of the hotel. Bar "Mio" is such an example, which is horrific. FS is currently trying to re-think many of the suites and rooms to better unify the different designs, the outcome is not yet what I hoped. But I feel so well cared for at this FS that I don't mind as much.

I admit I haven't set foot in Excelsior Gallia, but from the pictures the furnishings look 4* to me. Lobby is a bit convention hotel-style and the rooms are OK... entire walls with quilted leather has a certain taste for me, not my style personally but some may I find it... enticing.

It is brand new.

MO feels more like a business hotel, and the rooms are pretty small, as was stated earlier in this thread by vuittonsofstyle.

I'm all about people having different opinions. Yet the sheer lack of mention of the Excelsior Gallia is fairly shocking IMO. Everyone talks about how tired the PH and FS are, yet there is not a single mention of how fresh, modern, and beautiful the EG is! I visited all of those, and the MO, and the staff at each those other hotels commented on how beautiful the EG was! Yet not a single mention here in this so thread.

Prejudice runs deep. I think the MO Paris is spectacularly beautiful...so I know the MO Milan isn't to same standard. The FS in many cities is fresh and beautiful...so I know how dated the FS Milan is. The PH Istanbul and Sydney are wonderfully fresh, modern, and beautifully appointed...so I know how overdue for renovation the PH Milan really is. Yet nary a word here from such experienced travelers.

Bolding mine.

Asked and answered, thanks. People seem so impressed by the quilted wall treatments in the new Ritz Paris...but somehow it's so tragic in the EG Milan? I don't think so.

You know how much I like FS, but FS and all fresh and beautiful is not quite true, especially in Europe... Budapest, Hampshire, Lisbon (!), Prague... all in need of a renovation, although many are glorious hotels. But they newest kids on the block they are not. FS has a lot of experience running older hardware.

Put Milan into perspective and I would say many of the newer suites aren't that bad. I wouldn't complain. Maybe it has a bit more character than Excelsior Gallia, more soul.

That's my problem with the Ritz too. Not that it would matter for taste, but undoubtedly you cannot question that the scope of investment that went into both properties is quite a bit different, no?

bhrubin, Excelsior Gallia (re)opened 2 years ago

youve missed lots of comments re tired properties

scented and others here are hyatt regulars

MO? Sure?