Hotel Ada

It’s a clean, safe family hotel with very nice owners, and the heating kept the room warm in cold weather. The location right by the train station is convenient for exploring Milan on foot or taking trips out of town, such as to Lake Como. You do have to leave your key at reception when you go out, and the hotel doors lock at 1 a.m. because there’s no night staff. I was worried about getting back after an evening concert, but the owner gave me a phone number to call if I was running late. It all worked out fine.

My experience was absolutely terrible. The hotel locks its doors from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. and calls it a curfew, though other hotels in the same building apparently don’t have this issue. They don’t have normal 24-hour coverage and seem to do this to save money. My flight was delayed, so I had to spend the first night elsewhere, and with an early return flight I ended up sleeping at the airport the last night. The room smelled old and didn’t feel clean. I was given twin beds but told to use only one, which made me wonder how dirty the other one was. The lighting was dim too.

The hosts were very kind and helpful, and there are plenty of places to eat right outside. Transport is easy too, with buses, trains, and the subway nearby to take you wherever you want to go. The place was very clean and relaxing, with everything you need and a great location. You can’t come or go between 1 and 5 a.m., but the hosts kindly made an exception for us because we had a very early flight.

The family who run the hotel were lovely and polite, but the key rules and refund policy were a problem. You have to leave your room key at reception every time you go out, then tell them your room number when you return. I don’t think they realize how unusual that feels or how unsafe it can seem for your belongings: someone could give the room number to a different receptionist and get in. They also require full payment on arrival and give no refunds under any circumstances. I had to leave Europe and return to the US on the second day of a five-night stay because of a family emergency, and they kept every penny. The room was very small, but clean and serviced daily. The bathroom was just a few square feet, so close that you could rest your elbows on the sink while using the toilet. The mattress had springs and the pillows were thin, though two were workable. Ask for an extra pillow. And don’t ignore the heating complaints: from October through April, the heaters run full blast every day from around 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. There’s no way to turn them off, and the owner’s answer is to open the window. My room was about 85F at check-in. Even with the window wide open, it was hard to fall asleep before around 11 p.m., after the heating had been off for a while.