A hotel inside one of Milan’s landmarks
Milan Central Station is to have its own hotel. Grandi Stazioni Retail and Pacini Group have announced that the property under development in the station’s passenger building will join Curio Collection by Hilton, Hilton’s collection of hotels with a distinctive character. It will be named The Duke Milan, Curio Collection by Hilton.
According to the partners, it will be the brand’s first hotel located in a European railway station. The name pays tribute to the Duke of Savoy-Aosta, the figure who also gave his name to the square on which the station stands.
€11 million invested, split 60/40
The project represents a total investment of €11 million, funded 60% by Grandi Stazioni Retail and 40% by Pacini Group. Grandi Stazioni Retail manages the commercial spaces of Italy’s 14 main railway stations, while Pacini Group has been developing hospitality projects for more than twenty years.
Pacini Group was chosen as operating partner, responsible for running and marketing the hotel, following a selection process led by the Cushman & Wakefield Hotels team. More than fifteen international operators were consulted, after Grandi Stazioni Retail had defined the hotel’s positioning and concept.
44 rooms across 2,546 sqm
The hotel will occupy 2,546 sqm in the wing between Piazza Duca d’Aosta and Piazza Luigi di Savoia, close to the taxi rank. It will offer 44 rooms, together with lounges and communal areas, a fitness room, and meeting and event spaces.
A mock-up room is due to be completed this autumn to preview the interior design. Completion of the works is scheduled for autumn 2027.
The Central Station reimagined as an urban destination
For Grandi Stazioni Retail, the operation marks a key milestone in the enhancement of the station, conceived to bring together mobility, services, retail and hospitality. Its chief executive, Elena Sorlini, describes the partnership with Pacini Group and Hilton as an important part of the Central Station regeneration project.
Emidio Pacini, founder and CEO of Pacini Group, sees the station as one of the places that embody Milan’s identity. He presents The Duke Milan as more than just a hotel: a project designed to preserve that heritage and reinterpret it.
Italy, a growth market for Hilton
For Hilton, Alan Mantin, Vice President Development, Southern Europe, stresses that Italy remains a strategic growth market for the group. The project extends development already under way in Milan, where Hilton had notably announced the arrival of Canopy by Hilton Milan Duomo.
After Sesto San Giovanni, on the outskirts, Curio Collection is thus making its entry into central Milan. The collection continues its international roll-out, as illustrated by the recent opening of Xi Zhe Wuxi in Jiangsu Province.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
The Duke Milan to join Curio Collection by Hilton inside Milano Centrale
First Curio Collection by Hilton hotel located in a European railway station
€11 million investment: 60% Grandi Stazioni Retail, 40% Pacini Group
44 rooms across 2,546 sqm, with lounges, gym and meeting spaces
Pacini Group selected as operating partner after a process led by Cushman & Wakefield
Completion of works expected in autumn 2027
