MILAN, Italy—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced that Excelsior Hotel Gallia in Milan will join The Luxury Collection portfolio. Owned by Katara Hospitality, Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan will open this November following an extensive renovation. The opening will mark The Luxury Collection’s seventh hotel in Italy, as the brand remains on track to surpass 100 hotels globally in the next five years.
“I would like to thank Katara Hospitality for putting their trust in Starwood as we extend our partnership to bring The Luxury Collection brand to Milan,” said Michael Wale, president, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa, and Middle East. “With the brand’s origin in Italy, we are delighted to open this newly renovated hotel in Milan. Historic architectural gems such as Excelsior Hotel Gallia are perfectly suited to The Luxury Collection brand, which offers authentic travel experiences and exceptional service for global explorers and the local community.”
“We always embrace the local spirit wherever we invest in hotel assets around the world and the Excelsior Hotel Gallia in Milan is no exception,” said Sheikh Nawaf Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, chairman, Katara Hospitality. “We have made a major investment to bring this grand property back to its true glory. Today, it gives us great pleasure to share our Italian flagship property with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.”
Located in the Piazza Duca d’Aosta, Excelsior Hotel Gallia opened in 1932 in central Milan. Now undergoing a meticulous renovation and strategic expansion, the hotel will return its original grandeur. Marrying contemporary design with the Belle Époque architectural style, the hotel’s new architecture and design concept–led by Studio Marco Piva–has already won an Italian tourism industry award, recognizing its combination of historical and contemporary elements.
The hotel will offer 235 guestrooms and suites, a signature restaurant, a rooftop bar, a lounge bar, and a cigar room, plus 1,000 square meters of wellness facilities including a spa, indoor swimming pool, and fitness center. Excelsior Hotel Gallia will also offer event and meeting spaces for special celebrations including a congress center spanning more than 1,000 square meters and comprising two ballrooms, six meeting rooms, and a business center.
“As an established market, Italy offers exceptional potential to expand our presence across all brands, especially in the luxury sector,” said Bart Carnahan, senior vice president acquisition and Ddevelopment, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa, and Middle East. “The iconic Excelsior Hotel Gallia joins other historic landmark Luxury Collection hotels in Italy, in Venice and Naples as well as exceptional resorts in Costa Smeralda in Sardinia.”
