Now the bolthole is the place to base yourself in Milan, especially for first-timers, thanks to its close proximity to tourist attractions like the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II — both next door — as well as the Castello Sforzesco and the Teatro alla Scala. It has all the hallmarks of a big-name and big-chain property (not that convention rooms or a loyalty points program put a hotel lower on anyone’s ranking), but there’s a sense of boutique-ness to it – if not necessarily in practice then in scale and design. Interiors resemble sophisticated tonal dressing — the rooms, personified, are a well-groomed Italian gentleman in monochromatic Zegna cashmere jovially mingling with the crowds at Milan Fashion Week.