Hotel at the cutting edge of Milanese fashion

The presidential suite at the Westin Palace in Milan. Fotografie

If you’re visiting Milan, a city that is among the top three fashion destinations in the world, the historic Westin Palace hotel is just steps away from all your shopping needs.

Whether you’re consulting buyers or studying trends to spruce up your local retail business, this hotel will at least give you the convenience of being close to what really matters: the fashion districts.

Upon entry, I was dazzled by the luxury, glitz and hanging chandeliers. It’s no surprise then, that this property attracted many Asians and visitors from the Arabian Gulf during my stay last week.

However, I was informed on checking in that Wi-Fi was only available free of charge in the lobby.

Although the access card to my room showed a very straightforward-looking 508, there was a random numerical order to the rooms down the corridor and there was only one sign that showed which cluster of room numbers were where and, confusingly, the numbers on the doors of the rooms varied from a gold bronze type to others.

I ended up walking up and down the corridor three times before I found my room. The experience was made even more frustrating by the fact that I had just got off a more than six-hour overnight flight.

The room, once I had found it, was quite pleasant. No Nespresso machine, which was a little downer given that most five-star hotels offer that these days, but it was quite spacious. The bedding was fluffy and soft and the overall decor really offered that old European charm. The wardrobe doors were mirrors gilded in gold. I felt like I had just catapulted into the 17th century. The view outside the window was incredible with the Duomo right there in front of me.

I am an easy, and down-to-earth traveller, and have no problem carrying my own bags, as I did during my journey. But the concierge that took our bags on arrival became an irritation. After half an hour of waiting for them, I actually went down to the lobby to find what exactly had happened to my luggage and demanded that I be allowed to take it up myself.

The breakfast buffet was OK. We were offered several cold cuts, buffalo mozzarella cheese, scrambled eggs and cereals. There were however many more pork options compared with vegetarian and non-pork choices.

On the whole, the location is prime with several great Milanese restaurants steps away, and the hotel entrance is grand, but the service generally was quite “meh”.

q&a built for business

Francesco Castagna, duty manager at the Westin Palace in Milan, discusses more about the hotel.

What is the history of the hotel?

This hotel is about 100 years old. Built in 1910, the hotel was just next to the main train station, which was then located on the Piazza della Repubblica street. The accommodation originally was a seven-floor luxury property, with each room having its own private balcony. Managed by hotel operator, Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi, the property was previously known as the Ciga Palace Hotel. After its operator was acquired by Sheraton, which was incorporated into Starwood group, the hotel underwent many changes. In the 80s, it was remodelled to 12 floors and in the early 2000s it was rebranded as Westin Palace.

Is it a resort or a business hotel?

The Westin Palace is definitely a business hotel. There’s no swimming pool, few leisure facilities. There’s a nice gym with a steam bath and a solarium on the eighth floor. But Milan isn’t really a resort destination. Tourists usually stay for one night and use Milan as a connecting transit to visit the northern part of Italy.

How do you cater to your business guests?

We have comfortable rooms. The gym is quite handy to keep fit and the restaurant offers healthy food. Wi-Fi is available in the room. It costs €12 to have internet access for 24 hours, which you can connect up to three devices. We also have a business corner, in which it is possible to use computers, printers and anything you need from an office. Also, as part of the Westin Group we have the famous heavenly bed, which is quite comfortable and successful among our guests.

Where are most of your guests from?

We are an American company and I would say we have lots of repeating guests from the US, since it’s a Starwood property. We tend to get a lot of British bankers travelling between London and Milan. But our main bulk of clients are from the US and Canada.

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