Hotel Mec

The decor is a little dated, but somehow it gives the simple hotel a nice charm. It felt lovely and cosy, and all the staff were helpful and polite. The location is good, with lots of ways to get around, and the tram stop is so close that travelling around was very easy.

The clean hotel has a nice local feel in its decor. What made my one-night stay special, though, was the man at reception. He welcomed me so warmly and had such positive energy that the place immediately felt like home.

I spent two nights in room # 20, and the mattress was old and worn out, with metal springs pressing into my body. There wasn’t even a mattress cover. For a room costing more than 100 Euros a night, plus the 6.30 EUR tourist tax per person, it’s embarrassing that they haven’t invested in new mattresses. The hotel management is among the worst I’ve encountered in a European city hotel. Checkout is at 10 am, but there are no “do not disturb” or “clean my room” signs. I had a morning meeting and came back to find housekeeping had cleaned the room and changed the sheets, which was completely unnecessary. There’s a kettle and brown and white sugar sachets, but no tea bags or coffee, so bring your own. The minibar has bottled water with no indication whether it’s free or chargeable. I asked the young receptionist and was told it was free, but I didn’t trust that enough to drink it. I hope next time I need to stay in Milan I’ll be rich enough for a four-star hotel. The mindset here seems to be taking the maximum and giving the minimum, and the world would be better without these kinds of small hotels.

The rooms are small and dorm-like, so there’s not much space to unpack. Still, after hours spent exploring Milan and Monza, it worked fine as a place to sleep.