An era will come to an end for Milanese hospitality when the Sheraton Diana Majestic closes its doors next September.
A new hotel or a fashion brand location?
The owners of the Sheraton Diana Majestic, a Milanese real estate company, have decided not to renew the rental contract that has linked the hotel's management to the Marriott brand for 40 years.
According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the intentions are now to completely renovate the building and either launch a new hotel, or convert the asset into a fashion brand location.
The property was built in the mid-19th century
The Sheraton Diana Majestic was inaugurated in 1908 in the premises of what was formerly known as the Kuursal Diana Baths, created by the Austrians in the mid-19th century in an area that was then a countryside retreat close to Porta Venezia. The facility soon became a landmark for distinguished guests, including Milanese socialites, artists, literati and clergymen.
Linked to a sad event and to Fascism
However, the hotel is also sadly known for having been the scene, on 23 March 1923, of a massacre in which 21 people died. An episode that for many historians represented the beginning of the strategy of tension that would bring Fascism to power little more than a year later.
