Portrait Milan opens. It was born from the renovation of the former Archbishop’s Seminary in Corso Venezia.
It is not just a hotel, but a true hub of luxury and an experiential destination.
Thanks to the Ferragamo family, one of the most fascinating places in the city comes back to life
which, starting from the square, opens up and welcomes guests and the Milanese.
Valeriano Antonioli CEO of the Group tells HotelmyPassion about this project
which redefines the concept of hospitality.
Valeriano Antonioli since 2012 has been the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Lungarno Collection, the hotel management company owned by the Ferragamo family. The opening of Portrait Milano brings the number of hotels in the portfolio to 6.
Milanese by adoption, always in tune with the vibrant energy of the city, visionary and trendsetter, Valeriano Antonioli returns to Milan after 20 years. Not just to open a new hotel but, following the vision of the Ferragamo family, to introduce a new concept of hospitality in the hotel sector, decidedly luxury style and more inclusive.
HMYP: Portrait Milan opens. What does it represent?
V.A.: “Portrait Milano is the realization of an ambitious project on which we have been working for 9 years.
A refined luxury hotel strongly desired by the Ferragamo family and which interprets the values and style of Made in Italy. It is a place where you can enjoy gourmet, holiday, leisure, shopping and wellness experiences. But not only. Portrait Milano expresses an unprecedented concept of hospitality through its square, it opens up and integrates with the city. An approach of inclusive exclusivity”.
HMYP: Opening a hotel in Milan, one of the most important squares in Italy, in an amazing location. How did Lungarno Collection manage to win the management agreement?
V.A.: “Be open to everyone. This is the uniqueness of Portrait Milano. To give guests authentic experiences linked to staying in hotels but also to everything that represents the city’s identity and is a symbol of excellence. With the realization of this project Lungarno Collection has not only opened a new hotel, it has given the Milanese a gift who can finally return to experience one of the most beautiful and representative places in the city, which had remained inaccessible for decades. These are some of the reasons why the property liked the project presented by Lungarno Collection. This is why we are here today.”
HMYP: The hotel is not finished yet. What will come in the coming months?
V.A.: “We inaugurated last December 14th. There are still several services to be completed, which will surprise and conquer. At the moment we have only opened a restaurant ’10_11 Teneleven’ bar-restaurant-garden, casual dining which will find its maximum expression with the beginning of spring. Within the first quarter of 2023, the Beef Bar will open, with its restaurant and its “RUMORE” bar. The opening of our gastronomic restaurant will then follow and the Longevity Suite will also be completed soon, which combines a modern and technological approach to wellness. Your swimming pool is likely to become one of the iconic images of Portrait Milano. And then here we are in April, the beginning of spring with trees in bloom, the days getting longer and the temperature allowing you to fully enjoy the outdoor spaces. A magical moment for Milan thanks to the Salone del Mobile. There will be some surprises, mainly linked to our wonderful garden”.
HMYP: Lungarno Collection’s philosophy of hospitality and values of uniqueness of the group?
V.A.: “Lungarno Collection creates portraits – that is, the portrait of cities with their peculiarities. Its hotels offer a style of hospitality that interprets it. For this reason, the hotels in each city are different and have their own identity. Portrait Milano is part of this vision but, at the same time, it is its evolution, it redefines it, and it represents a springboard, because it starts a new project. Portrait Milano is a hotel model that can be replicated in other cities. The group’s unique selling points: belonging to the Salvatore Ferragamo family with all the guarantees of quality, made in Italy and craftsmanship that are reflected in the hotel projects. it is a small brand with 6 hotels (we reach 300 rooms, when there are hotels that alone have more than 300 rooms) and we are proudly a very independent brand”.
HMYP: Arriving in Milan means confronting and keeping up with some of the most important luxury brands, such as Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Bulgari, Armani. ….
V.A.: “I fully agree. In Milan there is a concentration of luxury hotel brands that is rarely found in other cities. We look out without presumption, but with awareness of the value of our brand. Ferragamo is a name that represents the apotheosis of Made in Italy in fashion. Lungarno Hotel is synonymous with style, elegance, quality thanks to the extraordinary ability of the Ferragamo family in transferring its distinctive style to the hospitality sector. Specifically: the style, the refined choice of materials, the quality, refinement, attention to detail and a vision of hospitality that reflects the uniqueness of each city”.
HMYP: Future developments?
V.A.: “Opening a hotel like Portrait Milano means being present on a stage that highlights us in the face of numerous investors, private funds and hotel developers. Top players who may be interested in our know-how and entrust us with the management of their hotels”.
HMYP: New openings, where are you looking?
V.A.: “We have several opportunities in emerging markets, we are evaluating them. The dream of many hoteliers is to open luxury hotels in exotic places. Beautiful, but not always achievable. Our reference market for development is mainly the European one, where one of our Portrait hotels can be reached with a maximum of two and a half hours of flight. And then, certainly Italy, in destinations where we would like to be, but we are not yet present, for example in Venice”.
HMYP: How do you see the hotel in ten years?
V.A.: “Today we are the ‘Portrait of Milan’. In ten years we will be one of the Portraits of Milan”.
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