a&o Hostel Milano Ca Granda

The room was clean, and the beds and towels were in very good condition. But basic things were broken: the shower only ran lukewarm, the lifts weren’t working, and the bedside shelf, sockets, and lights were out of order. Breakfast had mostly run out by the end of service, and what remained was dried up. Every night, traffic, rolling suitcases, and people returning to the hotel made a terrible amount of noise. This used to be an IBIS hotel, and it seems the new owners aren’t addressing the current poor standards because they plan to renovate at some point. Until then, the place may just keep deteriorating. Think carefully before booking.

Our room was uncomfortably hot from the moment we arrived, around 30°C, and the air conditioning only blew warm air. There was an unpleasant smell too, so we could only sleep with the windows open. The room was dirty in places housekeeping could easily reach, and the old furnishings had plenty of dust. The washbasin, shower fixtures, and bathtub were all heavily coated in limescale. Getting the room was a problem in itself. We waited about 45 minutes for a reservation we’d made weeks earlier. The bill showed two rooms paid for, but only one had been assigned. A&O's main office corrected the invoice within minutes, but sorting out the missing room took much longer. Breakfast was advertised from 7:00-10:00 AM. We went just after 9:00 and there were no eggs, only ham among the meat choices, crushed butter, and just three rolls left. Staff said they wouldn’t replenish much, if anything, because breakfast was nearly over. The advertised free WiFi connected, but gave us no access to the internet. Both lobby snack machines were broken throughout our first two days. One of the two lifts was out of service, and the working one struggled with more than four people in it, despite a 900kg capacity sign. This was a thoroughly disappointing stay, and we wouldn’t book here again or recommend it.

The slamming doors kept waking us at night, and complaining didn’t get us any help. We reported several problems too, but heard nothing back: the shower was clogged, the safe and TV didn’t work, the toilet leaked, and there was no bedside table. One lift has been out of order for a long time. The room wasn’t cleaned daily, even after we requested it through the QR code, and we had to make do with two towels for the whole stay. Good luck getting anything sorted.

The staff were great, but the room had a broken air conditioner and no bathroom fan. The lift also broke down several times in one day. I won’t stay here again.