SKYLIGHT VISTA

VIVIENNE TANG takes time out of her busy fashion schedule to visit Milan’s Seven Stars Galleria hotel, and finds out how the VIPs dream and dine

Not many hotels can claim that they deserve seven stars, but the Seven Stars Galleria in Milan undeniably lives up to its name. Also known as the Town House Galleria and housed in the city’s famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the intimate hotel not only offers a genuinely eclectic and luxurious experience that brings together Old World and modern, but it’s also at the heart of the fashion quarter – right above Prada’s flagship store and close to other high end boutiques and top restaurants.

Built in 1876, the historic arcade links the Piazza Duomo, site of Milan’s cathedral, with the Piazza della Scala, home to the city’s famous opera house. As befits its ornate facades, the hotel’s interior is replete with European and Asian antiques, contemporary art, hand-painted arched ceilings and original oak-parquet floors.

The seven elegant suites, with their shuttered, double-height windows that open onto the Galleria, range in size. Each one, individually designed by architect Ettore Mocchetti, is dedicated to a famous La Scala musician. Exquisite touches include antique frescoes, rare wines in the minibar and there’s even an extra suitcase, just in case you succumb to shopping mania.

Each suite has a dedicated butler who will schedule your meetings, book the best restaurants in town, look after your dog, arrange a private viewing of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper, do your shopping and even lend you a diamond necklace.

The hotel’s chef, Giacomo Gaspari, also provides one-on-one culinary service. To draw up healthy menus for each guest, he offers a short test to determine a persona’s dosha or ayurvedic characteristics and body type. Meals can be taken in La Sinfonia, the hotel’s à la carte restaurant, or from the 24-hour in-room dining service.

The hotel understands the need for anonymity, offering guests two entrances – front and back – for VIPs to come and go in the hotel’s waiting Bentleys.

Rooms start at €1,200 for the Vivaldi Junior suite and €5,400 for the 1,700-squarefoot Ambassador Wing, which comprises two master bedrooms, two lounges and three bathrooms.

www.townhousegalleria.it

Cathay Pacific, which unveiled its new long-haul Business Class late last year, offers direct flights from Hong Kong to Milan