Glam Hotel Milan

4.7 out of 5.0 stars4.7

Good Marks for Location, Room and Service. Food OK

A better than expected experience. Wasn’t sure of the quality of this establishment and didn’t know what kind of room we were getting for a family of four as I didn’t see one on their website.

I knew it was in a prime location right opposite Milano Centrale station, across Piazza Duca D’Aosta. That was one of the reasons why I chose this hotel because it would be easy to reach from Malpensa Airport and to leave when we took the Frecciarossa to Firenze (Florence). Also having access to two lines of the Metro, M2 (Green Line) and M3 (Yellow Line). M2 for Porta Garibaldi station and trains to Lake Como and M3 for Duomo, the main square in Milano with the church of Santa Maria Nascente, Milano’s gothic cathedral.

The area around the hotel is clean. It is washed and swept every morning by the council workers. During our stay at night there were homeless people sleeping under the portico of the building across the street. Occasionally there would be an argument, even at 2 or 3am. In the square adjacent to the railway station there are also a lot of African and other immigrants loitering, some even drinking. So take note of this and keep to yourself.

We stayed at the GLAM all up four nights. We had room 207 on the second floor with a good view of Piazza Duca D’Aosta and the 127 metre Pirelli Tower. The room is split in two. Main bedroom consisting of a Queen sized-bed, bedside cabinets, a small coffee table with two small armchairs and a large flat screen TV that probably took up too much space.

The other room connected to the entrance was large enough to fit a sofa/bed and a roll-in bed for our 12 and 14 year-olds. Both had thick mattresses and were comfortable. There was also a flat screen TV on the wall and a small armchair and a square stool. A kettle to boil water for tea and coffee sat on a slim desk under the TV.

Power points were available in both rooms, but only those next to the kettle were in a prime position. The other one in our room was adjacent to the TV. The Queen bed had a firm mattress. The sleep quality was very good. The air conditioning worked well and was adjustable but we didn’t bother to change settings.

The bathroom was large with the classic layout of toilet bowl, bidet and wash basin and shower cubicle with hand held and rain shower capabilities.

The room was cleaned and tidied up everyday. If you needed extra towels etc., approach the housemaid and ask, best done in Italian of course, but gestures can suffice if all fails.

The hotel stay includes breakfast and dinner in the room price. Dinner is split in two sessions and you are required to pickup a voucher from the front desk the day/night before to reserve a time. This is so to alleviate overcrowding. All food is presented buffet style, morning and evening and served in two adjacent rooms each with their own counters and dispensers.

The breakfast was on the good side. I think there’s plenty there to make most happy: cereals, cakes, biscuits, cold cuts, cheeses, breads, preserved fruit, fresh fruit, yoghurt, jams, etc. More or less the usual at these hotels. Those wanting prepared hot food may need to adapt. They do have scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon etc., but not omelettes cooked for you. As I don’t drink coffee I’m not sure whether they’d accommodate you if you wanted a proper espresso, caffè latte or cappuccino. For this you may have to go downstairs to the bar on the ground floor, but don’t take my word for it, better ask. They had a machine for coffee, etc., and one for juices in the dining area. Don’t remember if there was hot chocolate.

For dinner, I found the servings to be good, but some things better than others. You need to remember this is a buffet. It is not a ‘a la carte’ restaurant. You won’t get everything spot on. One of their best dishes is the swordfish. Risotto and lasagna good too and some of the antipasto salads. Also several meat dishes cooked in salsa and the chips which kids always love (even if lukewarm). One sour point of buffets are cold plates. Also some looked like they weren’t washed or dried properly.

The buffet dinner more or less is there for you to save money, although the hotel tries to recoup something from sales of drinks (Euro 5 each) which are expensive in relation to what you may get elsewhere. So weigh up whether eating here is right for you. As a family we were happy. Saves a lot of heartache going out, ordering then the kids not eating.

Make sure to serve yourself the right size portion. The hotel does not want waste and they may charge you if you have too many leftovers. An unusual move but something that I agree with. Dinner time may also seem chaotic. Everyone in a frenzy. The drawback of buffets.

One last thing, check-in and check-out was smooth and efficient. Thanks to Ilaria checking-in and Marco checking-out. Overall we were quite happy with GLAM. If I get the chance to return to Milano, it would be in my top choices.

For more information and bookings visit the GLAM Hotel Milano website.

Ambiance	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Cleanliness	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Comfort	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Facilities	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Food	4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0
Location	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Noise	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Service	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Staff	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
WiFi	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5