Palazzo Cornalia

Staff service was decent, but the building and room were far below what I’d expect from a hotel calling itself five-star. The place felt old, dark, and gloomy. There were scrapes and marks on the room walls, and the bathroom smelled strongly unpleasant. Its fixtures were dated and poorly maintained, the shower drained badly, and the toilet looked scraped up and unclean. It was a disappointing stay, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for real luxury and comfort in Milan. There are better options in the city.

The art collection gives this place a lot of character, and it’s one of my favorite boutique hotels in Milan. My room was spacious and tasteful, and breakfast had lots of choices and was great. Every staff member was friendly and went beyond what I asked. The service was fantastic, and the underground stop nearby makes it easy to get around.

I stayed here in October 2023 and chose a suite. Its layout was pleasantly simple, as shown in the pictures and video I included with this review. A coffee table in front of the sofa would make it a little more comfortable. The hotel is beside the station and about a 15-minute drive from the city center. Breakfast was quite good, and the service staff were very competent.

There was one very kind woman at the bar who loved kids. I didn’t catch her name, but she did a lot to save the hotel’s reputation for service. We had trouble with the street noise, though: there’s a parking area next door that seems to run nonstop, a garbage truck came at 5am, and a bar opposite our window stayed open late. The room cleaning schedule was strange too, and the loud vacuuming in the hallways in the afternoon made it hard for our son to nap. The rooms themselves were clean, nice, and spacious, but after a 15-hour journey we arrived at 10pm and couldn’t get anything to eat for him because the kitchen was closed. Even bread and cheese weren’t available. We chose a five-star hotel expecting the service to match, based on our experience in Dubai, so that was a shock. The food was already expensive, and then we were charged another 10 euros for a simple margherita pizza for our son, which wasn’t even very good. At 35 euros for a small pizza, that felt like a rip-off. We’ve never paid an extra fee like that at hotels we’ve stayed in before. Breakfast was basic, with little variety for a longer stay. It might be fine for a basic place, but not for a five-star hotel at this room rate. The location could be better too. You definitely need the metro, since it’s quite a walk to the center otherwise. When we asked for late checkout until 4pm so our son could nap, they wanted another 150 euros, which didn’t seem justified after the other poor service. This isn’t at all kid friendly. I wouldn’t recommend it to friends, and I definitely won’t stay again.