UNAHOTELS Expo Fiera Milano — PassepARTout Gallery
The UNAHOTELS Expo Fiera Milano is a design hotel adjacent to the Fieramilano exhibition complex at Rho-Pero, west of Milan, featuring the PassepARTout gallery — an in-house contemporary art collection and exhibition space that brings rotating works by Italian and international artists into a hospitality context. The hotel serves trade fair visitors, Expo legacy travellers, and creative professionals attending Milan’s design and fashion weeks.
At a glance
- Type
- Design hotel with integrated contemporary art gallery
- Period
- Post-2005 (developed in connection with the Fieramilano complex opening)
- Style
- Contemporary hospitality design; rotating art exhibition programme
- Location
- Via Cristoforo Colombo, Rho (MI), Metropolitan City of Milan, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.5021° N, 9.0847° E
Overview
UNAHOTELS Expo Fiera Milano is part of the UNA Hotels chain, one of Italy’s leading hospitality groups. The hotel’s PassepARTout art programme distinguishes it within the cluster of accommodation options surrounding the Fieramilano complex by integrating curated contemporary artworks throughout its public areas and guest rooms. The proximity to Fieramilano’s main entrance and the Metro Line 1 terminus makes it a strategic base for attendees of the Salone del Mobile, EICMA, and other major trade events.
History
The hotel district around Rho-Pero developed rapidly after the new Fieramilano complex opened in April 2005, replacing the congested Portello city-centre fairgrounds. The UNAHOTELS property was conceived as part of this planned expansion of the fair’s hospitality infrastructure, designed to serve the large influx of international trade visitors. The PassepARTout gallery programme was introduced to give the property a distinctive cultural identity within a competitive cluster of business hotels. The area gained further international visibility when the Expo 2015 World Exposition was staged immediately adjacent to the fairgrounds.
What you see
The hotel interiors integrate artworks as part of the guest experience rather than in a segregated gallery space — works are encountered in lobbies, corridors, dining areas, and guest rooms. The PassepARTout programme typically features paintings, sculpture, photography, and installation work by contemporary Italian artists alongside selected international names. The design language of the public areas reflects Milan’s broader culture of applied art and industrial design, with furnishings and lighting chosen to complement the rotating art programme.
Cultural significance
The PassepARTout model represents a strand of Italian hospitality culture that frames hotels as platforms for contemporary art patronage, following precedents set by prestigious Milanese design hotels in the city centre. By locating this programme in a trade-fair satellite hotel rather than the historic centre, the initiative extends Milan’s creative economy into its peri-urban business infrastructure and offers fair visitors an accessible encounter with current Italian art production.
Practical information
- Address
- Via Cristoforo Colombo, Rho (MI), Italy (check hotel website for exact street number)
- Gallery access
- Gallery areas accessible to hotel guests; check with hotel for public visit policy
- Website
- www.unahotels.it
Getting there
The hotel is located adjacent to the Fieramilano exhibition complex. By metro, take Milan’s Line 1 (red) to the Rho Fieramilano terminal station — journey time from central Milan is approximately 30 minutes. By car, exit at the Rho/Fiera Milano junction off the A8 or A52 ring motorways. A hotel shuttle may be available from Milan Malpensa Airport during trade fair periods — confirm with the hotel on booking.