Locally based Studio Marco Piva was commissioned by Katara Hospitality and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide to renovate the landmark Belle Époque-era building that would house the 5-Star Excelsior Hotel Gallia Milan.

Contrasting with the historic edifice, a new annex was designed during the project’s second phase with a screen-printed, glass-clad façade referencing the nearby Pirelli Tower.

The hotel’s public spaces and corridors are clad in black glass-like materials with metal accents.

The lobby’s main reception hall features reflective stone flooring juxtaposed with metal fixtures and a series of clocks depicting several time zones, while low chairs upholstered in neutral tones provide seating at check-in.

The central staircase was restored and highlighted by an approximately 100-foot-tall Murano glass chandelier that spans eight floors and features a cascade of 180 light cylinders.

Located on the seventh floor, the historic building’s central cupola is coated with 586 mirror-finished prisms. Equipped with audiovisual technology, the area underneath can function a private event space.

A cigar room is designed as a private club with thick, silkscreened glass and international cigar and cognac offerings.

The Gallia Lounge & Bar’s white backdrop is punctuated by cream lounge-style stools and armchairs and light-colored natural flooring, painted glass, and heavy red window treatments.

A modern reinterpretation of neoclassicism, the angular Gallia restaurant was informed by 1930s-inspired geometry and features a massive chandelier hanging overhead.

The 235-key hotel is divided into 29 standard room types, five suite types, a presidential suite, and a royal suite. All accommodations feature residential-inspired areas, evident in the functional-use nook found in the six Art suites (pictured).

The 17 Atelier suites (pictured), feature Art Deco-inspired mirror headboards.

A private sixth-floor entry leads to large spa and pool facilities on the seventh floor that include saunas, a hammam, a gym, and a pool with glowing, geometric light fixtures.