Spanish group Melia Hotels International has announced plans for its first Gran Melia hotel in Italy’s northern city of Milan.
The five-star property will be housed with the restored 19th century Palazzo Venezia, situated close to the city’s Piazza del Duomo.
The hotel is scheduled to open in 2023, and will feature 70 rooms, a rooftop bar and terrace, and “unparalleled food and drink experiences”.
It will join three other Melia properties in Milan – Melia Milano, ME Milano II Duca, and Innside Milano Torre Galfa.
There are currently fewer than a dozen Gran Melia hotels worldwide, the majority of them in Spain, although international locations include Rome, Jakarta and Xian.
Forthcoming destinations for the brand include the Maldives, and Gengdu and Zhengzhou in China.
In 2017 Gran Melia opened its first property in Brazil, within a circular building designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer in Rio’s upmarket Sao Conrado district. However this hotel has since been debranded as is now known as the Hotel Nacional Rio de Janeiro.
Commenting on the Milan property Gabriel Escarrer, vice president and CEO of Melia Hotels International, said:
“Italy is one of the world’s greatest tourist destinations and it is a privilege for us to offer iconic hotels such as the Gran Meliá in Milan, which bring even greater recognition to our brands.
“Thanks to our efforts to raise the quality of our portfolio, we will be in the best possible condition to face the recovery and once again attract demand in the most competitive destinations in the world.”
