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The interiors were created by Olga Polizzi, Director of Design at Rocco Forte Hotels, together with Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen. Rather than following a conventional luxury hotel formula, they have created spaces that feel layered, collected and highly personal.

Old World European elegance is combined with contemporary design, bespoke furniture, restored antiques and carefully selected vintage pieces. There are influences ranging from Mumbai Art Deco to important twentieth-century artistic movements, yet the overall effect remains sophisticated rather than theatrical.

One of the hotel's most striking architectural features is its domed central courtyard, which creates a dramatic focal point at the heart of the property. Throughout the public spaces, different stones, woods, fabrics and carpets establish subtle transitions from one area to another.

Art is equally important. Works by Milanese painter Pierantonio Verga are displayed in The Carlton Bar, while the lobby includes a sculptural table by Ado Chale. In the concierge area, Portrait of Medora by Erminia De Sanctis is accompanied by nineteenth-century sculptures of a lion and lioness donated by the Forte family.

Even a seventeenth-century Flemish tapestry forms part of the interior composition. These pieces are not simply decorative additions. Together, they help create a hotel that feels more like an elegant Milanese residence with a serious interest in art and design.

With only 71 rooms and suites, The Carlton is relatively intimate for such a central Milan address. The collection consists of 41 rooms, 15 junior suites and 15 suites, with views towards locations including the Duomo, Via della Spiga, Via Senato and the hotel's inner courtyard.

Every category has been designed around a sense of residential comfort. King or Super King beds are complemented by Carrara marble bathrooms, while contemporary conveniences include interactive smart televisions, international power sockets with USB connections, in-room safes, tea and coffee facilities and fully stocked private bars.

The interiors take inspiration from Milan's long relationship with fashion, architecture and craftsmanship. Deep greens, black and bronze tones sit alongside leather details, curated antiques and bespoke wallpapers. These wallpapers are particularly interesting: they are custom-designed and hand-painted by artists from the San Patrignano community and take inspiration from textile modernism and the work of Anni Albers.

Furniture has also been created specifically for the hotel. Several pieces reference the work of legendary Milanese architect and designer Gio Ponti, translating the proportions and forms of twentieth-century Milan into a more contemporary setting.

The result is sophisticated but comfortable. Rather than creating guestrooms that could belong to almost any international luxury hotel, The Carlton deliberately reminds guests that they are in Milan.

The hotel's five Forte Suites represent its most distinctive accommodation. The Manzoni Suite, Senato Suite, Galleria Suite, Scala Suite and Carlton Presidential Suite each combine contemporary comfort with neoclassical influences, rich fabrics and carefully selected decorative details.

Bathrooms feature Carrara marble, Verde Issorie stone and Murano glass accents, while leather-upholstered headboards reference the decorative language of Italian designer Paolo Buffa. Details inspired by the engravings found on the original doors of the palazzo add another subtle connection to the building's history.

There is also a broad selection of larger accommodation for guests who want additional living space. Junior Suites begin from approximately 36 square metres depending on category, while certain suites exceed 50 square metres. Some rooms and suites can be interconnected, creating several family configurations ranging from around 68 to 95 square metres.

This flexibility makes The Carlton particularly attractive for families who want to stay together without sacrificing the atmosphere of a sophisticated city hotel.

Food and drink are central to the experience, with the culinary direction overseen by Chef Fulvio Pierangelini. His approach is deeply rooted in Italian cooking, allowing high-quality seasonal ingredients to remain at the centre of each dish.

Spiga is the hotel's principal restaurant and reflects this philosophy particularly well. Pierangelini favours clear, refined compositions rather than unnecessarily complicated techniques. Classical Italian foundations are combined with a contemporary sensibility, and the menu changes to follow the quality and availability of seasonal produce.

The restaurant itself has an intimate atmosphere, with deep greens and muted pinks, clean lines and subtle finishes. Art selected in collaboration with Thaddaeus Ropac gallery adds another cultural dimension to the dining room.

Wine receives serious attention too, with a list of approximately 300 labels focusing particularly on respected Italian and French producers.

Cafe Floretta offers a more relaxed expression of the hotel's dining concept. Located beneath a luminous dome and accessible directly from Via della Spiga, it combines botanical elements with elegant architecture to create a bright social space throughout the day.

Breakfast combines an à la carte selection with a daily buffet. Later, Cafe Floretta moves easily into all-day dining, serving Italian and international dishes alongside artisanal pastries, coffee and an extensive tea selection.

Its setting gives it the potential to become more than simply a hotel café. Positioned directly beside one of Milan's most famous shopping streets, it has been conceived as a place for conversation, informal meetings and long pauses between shopping, appointments or exploring the city.

Facing Via Senato, The Carlton Bar brings together art, craftsmanship and serious mixology. Works by Pierantonio Verga reinforce its Milanese identity, while the bar counter itself takes inspiration from the abstract and metaphysical sculptures of Fausto Melotti.

Original Murano glass ceiling lights retained from the previous hotel provide a sense of continuity with the building's past.

The drinks programme is overseen by celebrated mixologist Salvatore Calabrese together with Director of Bars Luca Ardito. Its first cocktail concept, Three Decades, looks back at the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, three periods that played an important role in shaping modern Milan through industry, technology, fashion, music, communication and design.

Twelve cocktails interpret these decades, while the menu also includes seven of Calabrese's signature creations, including his Breakfast Martini, Spicy Fifty and Salvatore's Martini.

Wellness is another major component of The Carlton experience. The 280-square-metre Irene Forte Spa introduces the brand's Mediterranean-inspired approach to skincare and longevity to central Milan.

The spa has been designed with flowing, organic forms inspired by natural landscapes. Terracotta tones, woods and chocolate-brown leather create a warm environment that feels distinctly different from the urban setting outside.

Facilities include three treatment rooms, a thermal area with sauna and steam room, an ice fountain, experience showers and a relaxation suite equipped with vibration sound beds. There is also a Technogym fitness area, nail salon and the Forte Vita Bar, which specialises in express facials and hair treatments.

Irene Forte Skincare products incorporate botanicals sourced from the brand's organic farm at Verdura Resort in Sicily. Treatments combine skincare with contemporary technologies including LED, microcurrent, radiofrequency, laser treatments, Icoone body therapy and pressotherapy.

The Forte Vita Bar is particularly suited to Milan's fast-moving lifestyle. Treatments have been designed for guests who want visible results within a relatively short period, making it possible to schedule a beauty treatment between meetings, shopping or evening plans.

The Carlton succeeds because Milan is not simply the hotel's location; it is the central theme running through the entire experience. Its architecture recalls the city's aristocratic past, while its interiors reference Milanese art, furniture design, fashion, craftsmanship and twentieth-century modernism.

At the same time, The Carlton is not intended to feel like a museum. Contemporary restaurants, sophisticated cocktails, advanced wellness treatments and thoughtfully equipped rooms place it firmly within modern Milan.

Its relatively small number of rooms also adds to its appeal. Guests have the advantages of a major international luxury hotel brand while staying in a property that feels intimate, residential and highly individual.

For travellers coming to Milan for fashion, culture, gastronomy, business or simply a sophisticated city break, The Carlton offers an especially compelling combination: one of the city's finest locations, distinctive Rocco Forte hospitality and a design identity that could belong nowhere else.