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MILAN
PARK HYATT MILAN
My visit coincided with a heat wave of eye-watering intensity. The air conditioning in the taxi from the airport was not really up to the job, so I was mightily relieved when we finally drew up outside the 19th century palazzo, next to the famous Galleria (the enormous shopping arcade which is called ‘Milan’s drawing room’). Built in 1870, the palazzo was converted into the Park Hyatt in 2003. Externally, its period elegance has been perfectly preserved. It looks the sort of place in which persons of refinement would feel at home. Internally, its elegance is of an altogether different kind. Designed by Ed Tuttle, the interior is discreet and sophisticated. Natural light is everywhere. Granite and marble are all about and Classical references (like the octagonal columns of pink granite around the central cupola) subtly suggest the timelessness of this form of luxury. If you have the sense that I liked the Park Hyatt, you are correct. It was cool, in all senses of the word.
Let me give you two small examples of the exemplary service I received at the Park Hyatt. As so often nowadays, I feared that the bed might be too hard for my back, and I noticed that the dreaded duvet was in evidence. Could Housekeeping help? Within minutes a young lady had changed the duvet for blankets and put the duvet under the bottom sheet, to provide extra softness. Each night I slipped between the silken sheets and slept the sleep of the righteous. At breakfast I did not even have to ask. On the first morning the waiters noticed that my numerous plates of food spread to the next table. On subsequent mornings I arrived to find that they had already prepared my ‘extra’ table for me, exactly as I wanted. These buffet breakfasts (35 euros) were consumed in the Cupola, under a high glass dome. Here I sat on a banquette of yellow silk. Gentlemen in dark suits brought me jugs of coffee, baskets of brioche, racks of toast and glasses of freshly-squeezed orange juice. I helped myself to bowls of corn flakes and plates of pineapple, melon and strawberries. Waiters, like Christian, earned more gold stars by rushing off, at my request, to turn off the canned music. I have to report that the seating here is too low. I do hope that when it is replaced it will be higher. This was, in truth, the only fault I could find throughout my entire visit.
This kitchen uses good ingredients, cooks them with skill, combines them with intelligence and presents them with flair. It would be difficult, I think, not to enjoy a meal here. I began with pumpkin flowers, stuffed with vegetable couscous, in sweet pepper purée. This was comfort food, and I was comforted by its simple, direct flavours. My ravioli was filled with red prawns and buffalo mozzarella and served with cream of leeks – a dish full of fishy taste, rich, luscious and delicious. Liquorice pigeon breast (pictured), with red onion focaccia, was prettily presented on an oblong plate and proved to be both tender and full of well-balanced flavours. I concluded with a good raspberry au gratin with orange and lemon sauce (pictured).
Let me end where I began, with the hotel manager. He presides over an establishment which is a model of good taste and which is superbly located in the very centre of the great city of Milan. But it is the excellence of the manager and his staff which is the chief glory of this hotel. Milan is lucky to have the Park Hyatt, and the Park Hyatt is lucky to have Signor Claudio Ceccherelli.
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© Francis Bown 2003
I never begin a review of an hotel with a picture of its manager. But even my rules can be broken in exceptional circumstances. So here is a photographic portrait of Signor Claudio Ceccherelli. He is an affable and charming gentleman. But that is not why I have brought his face before you. I have done so because of the truly wonderful standards of service provided by the staff of his hotel. As we attribute the victory of an army to the general in command, so we should praise the hotel manager who leads his troops in such a manner that his establishment offers hospitality of the highest order. So I salute Mr Ceccherelli for the members of his staff. They are smartly dressed, highly motivated, courteous, efficient and friendly. And where are these paragons to be found? At the Hotel Park Hyatt in Milan.
I was shown to my ‘Park deluxe’ room (671-781 euros a night, breakfast extra) on the second floor. Here was more cause for pleasure. Shutters covered with apricot-coloured silk, modern wall lights of Murano crystal and cleverly placed panels of mirrored glass, together with 10-foot ceilings, made this apartment feel both spacious and welcoming. The hallway opened onto the bedroom. I noted with approval the stone writing desk, the Bang & Olufsen television, the carpet of grey and the window seat with purple cushions. I was at the corner of the building, and one of my two windows looked straight into the magnificent Galleria, as grand a basilica of commerce as you will find in Europe. No noise seemed capable of penetrating this billet, and the very efficient air conditioning was miraculously silent. With the spotlights dimmed, I could relax here in comfort. 
My bathroom was reached through a sliding door and was of a generous size. It contained the hanging space (with safe), a bath-tub in which I could (and did) happily submerge, a pair of scales (which I did not use), a walk-in shower, toiletries by Laura Tonatto and a plentiful supply of large white towels.
Location always matters with hotels. The Park Hyatt’s could hardly be better. I have mentioned the adjacent Galleria. But it is also only a few steps from both the magnificent gothic cathedral and the city’s remarkable opera house, La Scala. Many people would find it also within easy walking distance of the Pinacoteca di Brera. But the temperature was too high for any perambulation by me, so five minutes in a taxi took me to this marvellous gallery and my favourite painting in Milan. I reproduce it here for your delectation. It depicts St Peter enthroned, with St John the Baptist and St Paul, and is the work of Giovan Battista Cima de Conegliano. I could have looked at it for hours. But it was time to prepare for dinner.
Dining at the Park Hyatt is done in the Park restaurant. This comprises two rooms. The colours are subdued and the atmosphere is calm and relaxed. On each table burns a single black candle. Although there is canned music, it is of a discreet and inoffensive kind. The tablecloths are white, the glassware is good (by a German company, called SF), the waiters are again in dark suits and napkins are replaced. I occupied a corner table, number 5, and was looked after with commendable kindness by the Assistant Restaurant Manager, Alessandra Aroni, a lady from Sardinia. 
Executive Chef Filippo Gozzoli offers a menu which is full of interest. Each course has a suggested wine printed against it. A six course tasting menu is offered at 95 euros (125 euros, with the paired wines). My four courses from the carte were 89 euros.
