"A Hotel Monument In f Milan
By Doug Krikorian, Long Beach, Calif.
I've stayed in a lot of terrific hotels during my European travels across the decades, but never have I stayed in one whose orgins go back to 1863 and whose historic guest roster is astonishing and whose ambiance is a symmetry of vintage and contemporary and whose efficient staff is courteous, friendly and accommodating.
In fact, the Grand Hotel et de Milan is the most unique one I've ever experienced not so much because my wife, the Olympic swimmer Kathy Drum, and I found our stylishly attired corner room on the fifth floor with a balcony exceedingly clean, comforting and relaxing throughout our eight-day stay, or not because its Michelin Ristorante Don Carlo turned out to be an exquisite culinary event, or not because our breakfast with its many fresh, tasty goodies and its extraordinary crew of attentive waiters overseen by manager Ivano Quaini turned out to be a daily morning delight, or not because another extraordinary crew, the six concierges overseen by the Head One, Walter Milia, fulfilled our every request with a glad promptness, or not because its enchanting, picturesque, chandeliered lobby that seamlessly leads into a plush domed lounge with lengthy hanging, flared, silk curtains and elegant furnishings known as Gerry's Bar that turned out having, incredibly, my favorite Kentucky rye whiskey, the legendary Old Overholt, which I quickly ordered on my first day and a few more times during my visit.
There is so much to like about this timelessly resplendent 92-room hotel that evinces a fin de siecle aura from its storied past, but what titillates me most is I never thought in my wildest imagination that I would one day reside in an establishment that has hosted seven American presidents, Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Joe Biden, and four American Supreme Court Justices, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sandra Day O'Connor, Earl Warren and John Paul Stevens.
But of course the Grand over the years has had an endless stream of A-list clientele such as Enrico Caruso--its excellent lobby bistro is named after him---Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Arturo Toscanini, Ernest Hemingway, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, Gen. George C. Marshall, Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Richard Burton, Madonna, Paul Newman, Marcello Mastroianni, Robert De Niro, Vittorio de Sica, and dozens of other well-known directors, actors, politicians, entertainers and European royalty figures.
Even American athletic icons like Bill Russell and Jesse Owens and Arnold Palmer have been guests.
But the one who had the greatest impact on the Grand Hotel et de Milan having world wide stature since the 19th century is Giuseppe Verdi, Italy's most famous composer celebrated for his operas such as La Traviata, Rigoletto, Aida, Otello, Nabucco, Falstaff and 22 others during his prolific career.
Verdi started living at the Grand in 1872---he also had a residence in the country at Sant'Agata---and created his final two masterpieces, Otello and Falstaff, in his suite that the Grand's amiable front office director Stefano Donati says hasn't changed since Verdi passed away in it on January 27, 1901.
``Verdi's place here became known as the living room of La Scala,'' says Donati, who showed me around Verdi's Suite 105 that is festooned with monochromatic photos of famous people---including himself---and old art renderings and various other relics of interest. ``You wouldn't believe how loud it would be around here sometimes after one of Verdi's operas at La Scala, especially after a premier. After the Otello one in 1887, the adoring crowd in front of La Scala unhooked the horses from Verdi's carriage and pulled it down Via Manzoni to our hotel with Verdi and the tenor Francesco Tamagno in it to wild applause and cheers. They kept it up after Verdi went to his suite, and then a few minutes later he stepped onto his balcony and the tenor Tamagno did an encore to the wildly cheering crowd. That became a regular event here after many of Verdi's operas.``
Wealthy opera devotees can rent out the suite, and sleep in Verdi's bed, but the steep price isn't for those on a budget like me, or are financially faint of heart.
If you're seeking a charming five-star hotel in Milan with an unmatched cultural heritage in the midst of a bustling city center near many of its most prominent landmarks, then the Grand Hotel et de Milan would be your Nirvana.
I mean, you walk outside its front door and suddenly you're strolling along on the most expensive luxury apparel street on the planet, Via Montenapoleone, with an endless array of upscale boutiques and brands like Valentino, Channel, Van Cleef & Arpels, Versace, Armani, Cartiers, Bulgari, Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Harry Winston, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, etc., etc., etc. that stretches longer and is more intimate than Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
And if you choose to walk five minutes from the Grand in the opposite direction you will be at the sainted opera house, Teatro alla La Scala. And five more minutes of walking will take you to the ornate Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle and its arcade of restaurants and high-end jewelers and shopping outlets that is located in front of Milan's massive, spectacularly statue-bedecked (3,400) Duomo, one of the largest churches in the world and a memorable sight to behold.
What a stellar location!
What a stellar atmosphere!
What a history! (Caruso in the Grand's Suite 306 cut the first base plate record in music annals singing 10 arias into a Gramophone funnel)
What stellar service!
I found out the latter each morning of my stay when I'd trudge down to the front desk before breakfast and inform one of the receptionists or concierges I'd like my room cleaned.
And forty-five minutes later after we ate, my wife and I each time would return to our room finding the bed made with new sheets, the bathroom stocked with new towels and wash clothes, and the room thoroughly vacuumed and cleansed with complimentary chocolates left on the bed.
The majestic Grand Hotel et de Milan is, to disinter a ghastly cliche, one of a kind!"
