It's time to go again and, while long-haul vacations are a possibility for some, I city breaks cultural events are an opportunity accessible to all. Where to go? There are two cities that, more than others, are definitely worth planning for a long weekend around this time: Milan And Veniceprotagonists of the season thanks to some of the most important events of the Italian cultural scene.
From Milan to Venice: a spring full of events
In fact, it is in the Lombard capital that the event takes place in spring International furniture fair – This year from April 16 to 21 -, a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of design and planning and get lost in the endless series of events Fuorisalone in the different neighborhoods of Milan (theme of this edition, “Materia Natura”, an invitation to explore the deep link between these two words).
It was therefore at the same time that the sixtieth edition of the Venice Biennale. The event, the most important in Italy in the field of contemporary art, is scheduled from April 20 to November 24 and it's called Strangers everywhere – Strangers everywhere. Organized by the Brazilian Adriano Pedrosa, director of MASP – Museu de arte de São Paulo, it takes place, as always, between the historic exhibition sites of the Arsenal Lagoon and the Biennale Gardens and in the historic center .
Weekend in the lagoon, between art and hotels that remind you of home
But if what the destination offers, in terms of events and opportunities, is what motivates a departure, the tailor-made hotel can make the difference in the traveler's experience. A challenge that the hotel world is increasingly facing and which the brand voco®, with its two installations in Milan and Venice, responded in an original way. We tried to understand the how and why, by interviewing hospitality professionals from both hotels.
“The world of hotels must be linked to the territory in which it operates but must learn to adapt according to the needs of new travelers,” he explains. Giorgia Gasparinihotel manager voco® Venice Mestre – Le Quid, hotel establishment located in Venezia Mestre, not far from Venice airport and the train station. Travelers who, in fact, increasingly need to feel comfortable in all phases of their vacation and to experience the hotel no longer as a simple place to sleep between one exploration and another of the city , but in a place where we can stop. and feel at home.
This is precisely what was taken into account when designing the interiors of voco® Venice Mestre – The Quid: “The environments were designed to leave guests free to relax, play, share – continues Gasparini – The games area, for example, has a role and occupies a significant space in the lobby/bar to give guests the opportunity to entertain themselves, even just for a game of billiards or five-a-side football, for a few shots darts or a game of pinball.”
An obvious choice also in the use of colors and materials both in the common spaces and in the 128 rooms, between Standard and Premium, spread over eight floors. “The design of the reception and bar is an extension of the surrounding green gardens – he explains. Manuela Mannino by THDP, the studio that designed the hotel's interiors – while the rooms recreate an aerial view of the lagoon illuminated by Venice sunsets. Even the deep blue lacquered wall covering behind the reception, complete with brass signs and golden lights, is a further reference to the colors and splendor of the city that hosts the hotel.
In this way, continuity is created between the interior and exterior, with the best possible approach. sustainable: “The hotel is Green in many ways – continues Mannino – from the use of ecological materials in the design to LED lighting throughout the structure and the use of cushions and duvets made from recycled PET bottles”.
In Milan, between informality and elegance
The same philosophy was followed in the design of the hotel voco® Milan-Fiere, elegant and welcoming structure in the Lombard capital, a few minutes from Fiera Milano and the San Siro stadium. Situated in a strategic position for traveling not only within the city center but also to and from the international airports of Linate and Malpensa, it fully reflects the brand values, as explained by the hotel manager. Paolo Tirelli: “voco® is distinguished above all by a welcoming and elegant environment, which avoids formality. The spaces and layout aim for a warm and pleasant stay, favoring comfort, conviviality, well-being and leisure.
Hence the choice of Studio Bozzini, which designed the interiors of voco® Milan-Fiere, to transform the hotel lobby into a kind of square, also recreating inside spaces for gathering, leisure and relaxation. And it is precisely in the lobby where maximum sociality is aimed thanks to a high-impact gazebo, dominated by vegetation, which invites customers not only to pass through but to linger and discover the space. Added to this is an art wall designed using frames representing the windows of the buildings opposite, always with the aim of creating continuity between what is inside and what is outside. And a use of colors – yellow/orange and green – which aims to convey warmth and contrast with the alternation of gray and blue which characterizes the voco® brand.
When it comes to materials, however, it's Vienna straw, wicker and wood which, combined with a marked use of greenery, gives guests the feeling of being in an outdoor space as they are inside. A constant invitation not to perceive oneself as “isolated” in housing but rather integrated into the city. For this reason, even when we choose to dine at the hotel, we have the impression of being outside, as Tirelli explains: “Our restaurants a priori avoid identification with the hotel itself. -even. Each space has its own aesthetic aspect and a showcase of selected products, chosen with a view to quality and respect for the environment. The menu also follows defined lines regarding the different dishes. We also address the external public and therefore combine traditional dishes with other more daring and defined proposals, such as Pascol™ meat second courses (ed. Beef from selected and certified small Italian farms)”.
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Target? It's about “valuing every aspect of travel in terms of pleasure, trying to guide our guests towards slow and sensory experiences”, as the director of the voco® Milan-Fiere hotel explains. And that's exactly what we need most.
Info: milanfierehotel.com e quidhotelvenice.com
