Four Seasons’ lavish Milan outpost has closed to enable a stellar design team, featuring the likes of Patricia Urquiola and Flavio Pollano, to embark on a property-wide renovation.

The Italian fashion capital’s legendary Four Seasons Hotel Milano is getting a makeover. We find out what guests can expect from the new-look venue.

Reinvention of a legend

When Four Seasons Hotel Milano opened in the city’s fashion district 1993, it became the first Four Seasons hotel in continental Europe. Since that time, the 15th-century convent-turned-luxury retreat – distinguished by its grand architecture and lush gardens – has stood out as a beacon of Milanese hospitality.

Now, to reinvent its interiors and elevate the guest experience, the hotel is undergoing a transformation of its common areas, restaurants and bars, accommodation including specialty suites, and meeting spaces. The revamp will be undertaken in several phases throughout 2021, with plans for everything to be complete by the end of the year.

The hotel closed on 2 January for the first phase of the renovation, which encompasses all common areas, before reopening in the spring. From that point on, the renovation of the guest rooms and meeting spaces will be carefully phased so that guests can enjoy their stay undisturbed.

“This is an exciting chapter for Four Seasons Hotel Milano,” said Andrea Obertello, general manager of the hotel. “We have an incredible opportunity to reinvent what is already an iconic hotel with great heritage in one of the world’s best locations and make it the most talked-about hotel in the city.”

A new design destination

The first phase of this transformation will see the realisation of an entirely new concept for the lobby, lounge restaurant and bar. While chef Fabrizio Borraccino remains head of the kitchen, the restaurant, as well as bars, will undergo a complete remodel and rebrand to deliver a fresh look and feel, along with inventive new menus.

Renowned Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola is tasked with bringing the hotel’s vision to life. Having formerly studied at the Politecnico di Milano under the mentorship of legendary Italian designer Achille Castiglioni, the hotel considers Urquiola to be the ideal fit for this exciting project in a city known globally for its fashion and design expertise.

The hotel’s famous courtyard garden will also benefit from a reimagination. For this, the hotel has enlisted landscape architect and agronomist Flavio Pollano, an expert in botanicals and horticultural design including vertical gardens, whose previous projects included the landscaping of the Italian Pavilion at Dubai 2020 World Fair.

The first phase of work is expected to be revealed in the spring.