Check and compare: the best new posh hotels in Milan

Milan’s luxury hotels are serious – sprawling, grand venues that can feel a tad stuffy and outdated. But two new hotels are catching up to the city’s fashion-forward status. Fifty House and Hotel Viu are fun, playful, and creatively designed and attract a new generation of posh travellers. Here’s how they compare.

The design

Fifty House: Once a boarding school, the 50-room Fifty House is now a decidedly modern boutique hotel. The lobby is outfitted with jewel-toned Hollywood Regency-style velvet furniture, plus a fireplace – basically your ideal living room. But the modern art is distracting; it’s the work of one artist, Bisha, and includes a painting of a Storm trooper imagined as Raphael’s La velata and Salvador Dali’s head floating inside a mason jar. It tips an otherwise lovely space into garish territory.

Hotel Viu: This newcomer has some of the obvious, current-day trappings of a hip hotel: stark, dark wood, mixed metals, mostly grey furniture with the pop of a green couch. It’s the perfect canvas for a minimalist Instagram post, which is exactly the hotel’s intention. It’s located in the up-and-coming Porta Volta neighbourhood, right between Chinatown and funky Isola, and a dramatic vertical garden hangs off the side of the glassy, 124-room structure, while the lobby is filled with tall, dramatic orchids. Viu claims the only rooftop pool in the city – fortunately, it’s more serene than scenic.

Staying the night

Fifty House: The rooms lack both the romance and creativity found in the hotel’s communal spaces, coming off as sterile and half-decorated, like a pre-furnished apartment rental. The bathroom is tiny; there’s no space to unpack toiletries, though there are Malin+Goetz essentials. Wi-fi is free but spotty. It takes significant time and effort to turn on the lights, and even then, the room’s too dark. If you plan to spend time in your room, book the 1,600 sq ft roof garden penthouse, with two bedrooms and plenty of natural light; otherwise, take comfort in the fact that there are elegant business-meeting rooms and plenty of communal spaces to work in, alongside an espresso or negroni.

Hotel Viu: Viu’s ultra-modern rooms are simple but smartly designed. You can control your entire space’s lighting from a bedside switch. Even the smallest rooms offer both a rainfall shower and bathtub. Charging outlets are plentiful, and a smart TV connects to the internet. Plus, the bathrobes are very fluffy, and you’ll find a chocolate chip cookie on your bed after turndown service.