Milan Hotels

Publication Date: 18 November, 2007 | Category: City Guides

The case of Milan hotels is somewhat...problematic. For better or worse Milan lives in a constant sprint of exhibitions (fashion, decoration, etc.) meaning that hotels are almost always reaching full capacity and therefore not needing to offer great discounts. The result of that is to pay a lot for services and spaces that definitely are not worth the asking price. For example I stayed at the brand new 5 star Radisson in Berlin for 99 euro, whilethe same money in Milan wouldn't even land me on a 4 star hotel in some irrelevant area during a busy period.

The choices for Milan hotels fall into three broad categories: the business hotels close to Fiera for those who want to be close to the exhibition area, the hotels located around the Central Station, and those at the city centre. It goes without saying that if you can afford it, the city centre is the best location to choose. The issue is that even the lux hotels like Grand Hotel et de Milan (at which I have paid 600 euros per night during a stay at women's fashion week) do not justify their asking prices. Yes, the hotel has a long history, yet the room was hardly average, and even more so considering its price.

The cheapest room prices are to be found during the summer months when in Milan you can almost hear a Morricone soundtrack while heat melts everything and the streets remind far west scenarios with abandoned villages. For the rest of the year, the best practice is to book well in advance. This may sound like a paradox to late bookers (like Greeks) but it is the only way to save money (the other being to marry a hotel owner). For those who can afford it, The Gray is a beautiful, contemporary boutique hotel, the expensive Bulgari impresses with its garden right in the heart of the city and its celebrity guests, while Hyatt, and Carlton Baglioni offer their classic high quality service. At slightly lower prices, Sheraton Diana Majestic (a bit out of the city centre but always full of fashionable people), and Straf in the heart of the city are very good but not cheap options. Towards the Central Station, prices fall noticeably but the same holds for aesthetic values. Not as much the aesthetic values of hotels, since buildings like Starhotel Anderson or Berna are respectable (the former being particularly beautiful) as of the neighborhood which seems degraded. Further down at the high street Buenos Aires, there are plenty of options like Starhotel Ritz which is decent, and the the much cheaper (without many facilities) Del Corso. These are cheaper options which depending on the season may be good money savers, especially Del Corso.

One thing is for sure: the earlier you book, the better it is.

Selection of Milan Hotels

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