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As CEO Jean-Christophe Babin said, Bulgari has always been committed to making the hotel a hotel treasure.
The Rome-based jeweler was one of the pioneers of luxury fashion and jewelry brands entering the hospitality industry, foreseeing its potential and turning it into a real business that currently has nine divisions, with more to come. More departments. The first Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts in Milan celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, officially opening three years after the entire project was launched.
Babin said he was “pleased and proud” to mark the milestone, praising the pioneering vision of the Bulgari family and then-chief executive Francesco Trapani, “who boldly Decided to get involved in what we call experiential luxury, which didn’t exist before, the first luxury brand ever to do so.”
Twenty years later, Babin commented that Milan’s hotels were “more than ever ahead of the city’s hospitality scene, but more importantly, nine hotels around the world were at the top of the list in terms of average price and service in the high-end hotel industry.” Leading the way, we call it jewelry hospitality.”
He noted that additional hotels opening in “other major destinations around the world” will create the only and first Italian luxury hotel collection in the world. Maldives and Miami are expected to open in 2025, and Los Angeles in 2026, adjacent to existing hotels in Bali, Dubai, London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Milan. Bulgari has always been steadfast in its strategy of limited launches, while also committed to maintaining a certain level of rarity and high levels of service.
Babin has also reiterated over the years the need to take the time to find special locations in the heart of major cities or in holiday destinations such as Bali or Dubai. Case in point: After years of searching for the right site, Bulgari opened a hotel in its hometown of Rome in 2023 with more than 151,000 square feet over six floors. The hotel opens after three years of careful restoration of the historic building and a complete transformation of its interior. It is situated right in the center of Piazza della Augusto, and from its terraces the view of Rome is stunning, from the Vatican to the Medici Villas.
Trapani recalled, “At that time [of the move into hotels]Growth is driven by the differentiation of our products and distribution network, and we want to open up new ventures, as we did before in the fragrance sector, through projects that enhance our reputation. ”
However, referring to Cartier as an example of this strategy, he emphasized, “We want to think outside the box and offer something that stands out, is eye-catching, and is different from what everyone else is doing.”
Commissioned research, “We realized that luxury hotels are a business based on prestige, [hotels] The name Piazza Athénée or George V is synonymous and a guarantee of luxury. “
To manage the hotel, “we thought we should partner with Marriott [International]Best in the industry with 30 brands and strong global marketing capabilities. said Trapani. His resume includes serving as chairman of the watch and jewelry business after the acquisition of Bulgari by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Group and chairman of private equity firm Clessidra. SGR. Most recently, he became a major shareholder and chairman of VAM Investments.
“While we will bring our design philosophy and service standards to the table, we know that if the chef decides to elope with a ballerina, Marriott will know what to do,” Trapani said with a laugh.
The Milan hotel’s interiors were designed by Italian architecture firms Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, and feature handmade decorations and furniture made by Italian companies, such as upholstered items from B&B Italia and Maxalto and silk rugs from Altai in Rome.
The aim of each hotel is to highlight craftsmanship, and Bulgari has artisans and artists involved in every category, from wood and marble to textiles, mainly Italian materials, often with some local additions.
Trapani explained that since the first hotel, Bulgari has focused on finding buildings that could be renovated or built from scratch, rather than buying existing buildings to “pay goodwill and then tear them down.” Milan offers “an excellent opportunity, a former monastery in the city center, on a private street without traffic and with a beautiful garden. We only wish it was a little bigger.”
Silvio Ursini, Bulgari’s Executive Vice President for Hotels and Resorts, stressed that 20 years after its opening, the Bulgari Hotel Milan “remains the heart of the city – the Monte Napoleon.” Via Montenapoleone, Via Della Spiga, La Scala and the Accademia di Brera, where international tourists and especially local clients like to meet: for work or Relax, taste Niko Romito’s cuisine or even just enjoy an aperitif, this is the most emblematic moment in Milan’s social scene.”
He recalled how the hotel project was initially met with “doubt and skepticism” but quickly became a success.
The Hotel Milano in Via Privata Fratelli Gabba, housed in an 18th-century Milanese palace, “represents a crucial moment, concretizing a vision that writes a new page in the history of hospitality and the legacy of the Bvlgari brand The full value of this sector. In Milan we learned how important it is to choose a location with an extraordinary character, in this case a garden and closeness to a prime shopping area [the Via Montenapoleone and nearby streets],” he added.
Ursini recalled how Bulgari established a partnership with Citterio and Weill to create a hotel style that was “contemporary, classic and precious” and how to create a service model that was “impeccable but authentic, radiant and generous”. In fact, returning to a hotel often feels like coming home because staff always greet guests by name, no matter how much time passes between visits. At the same time, Bulgari’s cuisine also reflects the same attention to detail. Bulgari relies on its long-term cooperation with Italian Michelin-starred chef Romito and chef Luca Fantin and has received a total of eight Michelin stars in its hotels around the world.
The spaces are designed to emphasize the bar, restaurant and garden lounge and provide a new meeting point for Milan. “Those choices prevailed and today we are an integral part of this city.”
Ursini noted that lessons have obviously been learned over the past two decades, such as the need for more suites, and the fact that the Bvlgari Suite and others have just been expanded.
“We found that guests who also stay in cozy hotels like spas and larger pools, so we recently increased the size of the spa with spa suites and a new large fitness space. Newer hotels have at least 25 Meter swimming pool. Overall, the first hotel remains a hotbed of experimentation for us and a model of timeless style. ”
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