Milan has a new hotel worth planning a trip around. The Carlton, Rocco Forte's latest opening, took over the former Baglioni property on Via Senato and spent five years and about €60 million getting it right. The gamble paid off quickly: the hotel picked up two Michelin keys in the 2026 guide in its first year of operation.
The building is really two structures stitched together — a late-19th-century private residence and the original mid-century Carlton hotel — and design director Olga Polizzi, working with London studio Paolo Moschino, has made the most of both. The look is confident Milanese: cream, tobacco and mustard foundations interrupted by burgundy, olive, cobalt and terracotta, plus bespoke wallpapers and geometric prints. The renovation cut the room count from 87 to 71, so spaces feel generous; even the 34-square-metre Deluxe rooms come with parquet floors, leather headboards and Carrara marble bathrooms stocked with Irene Forte's Sicilian skincare line. Top suites get private terraces with outdoor dining.
There's a proper drinks pedigree too: legendary bartender Salvatore Calabrese designed the cocktail menu at The Carlton Bar, which spills into a garden made for summer aperitivi. Café Floretta handles all-day dining (breakfast martinis are on offer, though the berry crostata is the safer morning bet), while the 46-seat Spiga restaurant — leather-panelled walls, silver trolleys — is aimed squarely at big nights out.
The location does a lot of heavy lifting. You're in the heart of the Quadrilatero della Moda, Milan's fashion district, with a colourful entrance through a flower shop on Via Della Spiga curated by Milanese florist Vincenzo Dascanio — orchids, pineapple plants and calla lilies. The Duomo is a short walk away, and the roof terrace lift ride, through a forest of spires and gargoyles, remains one of the city's best views. For something less polished, the writer points to Isola's independent eateries, the Bosco Verticale in Porta Nuova, and the bar strip around Via Lecco in Porta Venezia. Navigli's canals get touristy on weekends; Rita's, just off the main drag, keeps a calmer vibe.
One practical note: standard rooms are short on storage for large suitcases, and at rates from €1,500 a night you'd hope for more wardrobe. Four accessible guest rooms and fully redesigned public spaces make this one of the more accessible luxury options in the city.
Verdict: this is for travellers who want serious mid-century design and a first-rate address without the formality of Milan's older grand hotels.
