Our experience at this hotel was extremely disappointing, especially considering that it is advertised as a 4 star hotel.
Upon arrival, we were told that the room we had booked was not available. We had specifically paid for a room with four single beds, but were instead given a room with only two single beds and a sofa bed. The sofa bed was not suitable for two adults and was certainly not what we had paid for.
To make matters worse, we were put in a completely different building that felt more like an apartment building than a proper hotel. We had already paid for our accommodation, so it was very frustrating to find that the room we had booked had apparently not been properly kept available for us.
We complained several times before the hotel finally offered us two separate rooms for the four of us. Thankfully, these rooms were in the main hotel building and were much better. We were satisfied with the two rooms, but it should not have taken repeated complaints for the hotel to provide accommodation that was reasonably suitable for what we had paid for.
The bathrooms and toilets were another major disappointment. They were extremely tiny, making it difficult and uncomfortable to shower or even use the toilet properly. The toilet door lock in our room was also faulty and could not be locked, meaning the door remained open for our entire stay. This is a basic issue that should have been fixed before the room was given to a guest.
There were no kettle or tea and coffee facilities in the room. After requesting one, the hotel eventually provided a kettle and a few tea bags. Tea and coffee can also be purchased from the lobby, but for a hotel claiming to be 4 star, basic in room facilities like this would be expected.
The breakfast was probably the biggest disappointment. For a hotel advertised as 4 star, the breakfast was extremely basic and nowhere near the standard we expected. The same food was served every single morning with absolutely no variation. In my opinion, the breakfast was not even close to what I would expect from a 4 star hotel.
The hotel does have some positives. It is generally very clean, the rooms are cleaned every morning and the bedding is changed regularly. The air conditioning worked well during our stay. The lobby, seating areas and garden are also beautiful and well maintained. The reception staff were friendly and polite.
The TV in the room was very basic, although we never actually used it, so this was not a major issue for us.
The check in and check out times were also inconvenient. Check in was very late while check out was very early. This was particularly frustrating because our flight was not until the afternoon, leaving us with a long and inconvenient wait on our final day.
The location is reasonably convenient, although not particularly close to the main station. It is around a 12 minute walk to the metro station and approximately 25 minutes on foot to Milano Centrale.
Overall, the hotel looks much better than the actual experience suggests. The beautiful lobby and garden give a good first impression, but the problems with our room, the extremely small bathroom, faulty toilet door lock, very basic breakfast and inconvenient check in and check out times do not reflect what I would expect from a 4 star hotel.
The fact that we had to complain repeatedly just to get suitable accommodation was particularly disappointing. While the staff were friendly and the hotel was clean, those positives were not enough to make up for the issues we experienced.
I would not stay here again and would not recommend it if you are expecting a genuine 4 star hotel experience.
