Senato Hotel, Milan, Italy

Slowly but surely, Milan’s boutique hotel scene is heating up thanks to chic new openings like the Senato Hotel.

Run by the Ranza family – fourth generation Milanese entrepreneurs – the property unfolds within a five-storey neo-classic building that was once their private residence. For the interiors, architect Alessandro Bianchi has roped in a host of local Milanese talent – from florist Rosalba Piccinni and metal lighting company Bottega Gadda – to build on his sleek, cosy interiors, which are an assembly of plush materials – marble, brass, handsome wood parquet flooring and rich velvet furnishings – in a discerning palette of matt black, bottle green and shimmering gold.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, he has unusually opted to create a novel slate grey stone pool of shallow water that smartly reflects the building’s architecture. Best of all, the hotel is easy on the pocket, which means more cash to splash at the boutiques on via Montenapoleone, Milan’s top shopping destination, just three blocks away.