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Which to choose · Milan

The Excelsior Gallia or Casa Brera, Milan?

Two Luxury Collection hotels at opposite ends of central Milan. The Excelsior Gallia has faced Centrale station since 1932 and was restored in 2015 with a steel-and-glass wing, a 1,000 sq m spa and a rooftop terrace; Casa Brera, opened in 2024, is Patricia Urquiola's rework of a 1950s Rationalist building on Piazzetta Bossi, a few steps from La Scala, with a rooftop restaurant and outdoor pool.

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Centrale, Milan

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Opened 1932 · 182 rooms

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Brera, Milan

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Opened 2024 · 101 rooms

In short

Choose the Excelsior Gallia to step off the train at Centrale, with a 1,000 sq m spa and a heated rooftop pool; choose Casa Brera to be a few steps from La Scala and Brera's streets, in a smaller, newer house with an outdoor pool on the roof.

  • A short stay by train

    Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

    Beside Milano Centrale station.

  • Walking the city

    Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

    On a pedestrian square a few steps from La Scala, on the edge of Brera.

  • A room with a terrace

    Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

    The Brera Suite's furnished terrace is 121 sq m; Junior Suites have a balcony or terrace.

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Choose Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan for

  • Beside Milano Centrale, for arriving and leaving by train
  • A 1,000 sq m spa and health club with a heated indoor rooftop pool
  • Larger rooms, from 26 to 40 sq m, and Design Suites named for Magistretti, Castiglioni and Giò Ponti

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Choose Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan for

  • A few steps from La Scala, on the edge of Brera
  • Interiors by Patricia Urquiola in walnut and Italian marble, with Cassina and Poliform furniture
  • Etereo and an outdoor pool on the eighth-floor roof, and the Brera Suite's 121 sq m terrace

Side by side

Where
Centrale
Brera
Opened
1932
2024
Last renovated
2015
–
Rooms
182, 53 of them suites
101, 15 of them suites
Room sizes
26–40 sq m
24–50 sq m
Restaurants and bars
6
3
Pool
Yes
Yes
Hot spring
–
–
Awards
Forbes 4 stars
–
Design
Studio Marco Piva
Pietro Lingeri; Patricia Urquiola
Airport
Linate (LIN) is about 5 miles away
Linate (LIN) is about 9.3 km away
Brand
The Luxury Collection
The Luxury Collection
Booked through us
Marriott STARS
Marriott STARS

The rooms

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Which to book. For outdoor space, book the Brera Suite, whose 121 sq m furnished terrace looks over the streets of Brera, or the Milanese Suite with its two connecting terraces; Junior Suites have a balcony or terrace, and the Studio with Balcony can connect to a neighbouring room.

The first room

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Premium Room

Premium Room

26–29 sq m · one king

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Superior Room

Superior Room

24–25 sq m · king or twin beds

The room to ask for

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

–

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Brera Suite

Brera Suite

66 sq m · Brera view · separate living room, two bathrooms and a 121 sq m furnished terrace

The largest suite

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Gallia Presidential Suite

Gallia Presidential Suite

120 sq m · dining area, separate living room, two bathrooms

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Milanese Suite

Milanese Suite

90 sq m · city view · the presidential suite, with two connecting terraces and dining for ten; also as a two-bedroom suite of 115 sq m

Dining

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

  • Terrazza Gallia Restaurant · Italian restaurant · 7th floor

  • Terrazza Gallia Bar · rooftop cocktail bar

  • Gallia Restaurant · Italian restaurant · breakfast

  • Gallia Lounge & Bar · lounge and bar

  • Wine Cellar · wine cellar

  • Cigar Lounge · cigar lounge

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

  • Etereo · Milanese rooftop restaurant and bar · breakfast

  • Nusr-Et Steakhouse Milano · steakhouse

  • Living · all-day lounge

The spa and the pool

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Gallia Health Club & Shiseido Spa covers 1,000 sq m on the sixth and seventh floors, with a heated indoor rooftop pool and whirlpool, a Himalayan salt cabin, wet and dry saunas, a steam room and a seventh-floor gym.

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

An outdoor pool on the rooftop terrace and a fitness centre.

Where they are

The two stand 2.0 km apart, as the crow flies.

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

On Piazza Duca d'Aosta, beside Milano Centrale station

  • Linate Airport

    16 min by car, about 8 km (5 miles)

  • Malpensa Airport

    45 min by car, about 53 km (33 miles)

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

On a pedestrian square near La Scala, on the edge of Brera

  • Linate Airport

    15 min by car, about 9.3 km

  • Malpensa Airport

    44 min by car, about 50 km

The building

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

The original Art Deco-era palace opened in 1932. Studio Marco Piva led the architecture and interiors of a restoration for owner Katara Hospitality, completed in 2015, adding a steel-and-glass wing and themed suites, among them Design Suites named for Vico Magistretti, Achille Castiglioni, Giò Ponti, Luigi Caccia Dominioni and Franco Albini; a 30-metre Murano glass chandelier by De Majo hangs in the eight-storey stairwell.

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Pietro Lingeri, a leading figure of Italian Rationalism, designed the building in the 1950s; Patricia Urquiola restored it, carrying the vertical lines and geometric patterns of the façade into the interiors in granite and Italian marble. It opened in autumn 2024 and joined The Luxury Collection in February 2025.

Booked through us

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Excelsior Hotel Gallia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Marriott STARS

  • A room upgrade on arrival when one is available

  • Daily breakfast for two

  • A US$100 hotel credit each stay

  • Early check-in and late checkout when available

On the hotel's flexible public rate.

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Casa Brera, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Milan

Marriott STARS

  • A room upgrade on arrival when one is available

  • Daily breakfast for two

  • A US$100 hotel credit each stay

  • Early check-in and late checkout when available

On the hotel's flexible public rate.

Become a client

Still deciding? Tell us your dates and what matters most, and we will say which we would choose, and book it at the hotel’s own rate with the perks above.

Questions

Casa Brera, on a pedestrian square a few steps from La Scala and Brera. The Excelsior Gallia is on Piazza Duca d'Aosta beside Centrale station.

The Excelsior Gallia's is a heated indoor pool with a whirlpool, part of a 1,000 sq m spa with saunas and a steam room. Casa Brera's is an outdoor pool on the rooftop terrace, with a fitness centre.

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