Principe di Savoia — Attraction in Milan

I have stayed at the Principe so many times and I used to love the familiarity of knowing I’d get that feeling of home away from home every time. The rooms were luxurious and on point; good restaurant and excellent services. I had booked multiple rooms for our family and friends and have celebrated milestones… But NOT ANYMORE! In my last stay, my husband and I were literally attacked by another guest at their gym. The lady had objected at me sweating at the gym (read right!). She complained that I shouldn’t be “sweating in public like that”, that I should “workout in private” and “go back to America where I came from”. 😵‍💫 Sounds crazy, right? This verbal attacks AFTER she had tried to threaten me physically but I was so into my workout I had been totally oblivious. My husband was working out in another area and he noticed her violent reactions towards me. This woman’s husband came and tried to control her and a whole argument, screaming (from her and then my husband).

To give context, I am a professional cycling instructor and I was just using their indoor cycling. I train seriously but for the same reason I definitely know what’s proper etiquette at a gym. As long as my sweating is on me, on my bike area and I have towels and sanitizer, etc. I should not be harassed, let alone insulted or threatened physically for merely sweating or working out.

To add insult to injury, the employees were so scared of this woman that instead of protecting me they were trying to pacify and appease her when they should have just kicked her out. Management sent me a little tin of lemon drops with a note after I made several comments to the nice and concerned employees about NOT STAYING AT THE SAVOIA EVER AGAIN. I was even scared of going to workout again or seeing that deranged guest around. Her husband seemed nice, civil but useless.

This happened a little over a year ago but I’m writing this now as I miss all the other great things that made our stay so enjoyable. But the Savoia is not a safe place for me anymore…. The excuse the gym supervisor and employees gave me was that she was a woman of color and they were afraid that she’d complain that this was all about race. She did tell me to go back to the US and that “people like me shouldn’t be let in there”. The irony is that I’m from Puerto Rico although totally fluent in both English and Italian. Just be aware that the hotel staff isn’t trained for to handle crazy (regardless of...

Being a Dorchester brand we expected excellent service. However the privacy notice isn’t respected, and after booking an expensive body treatment & massage on what I thought was the correct date, due to international time difference it landed on the day before I was available. I still thought it was booked for the next day, and had prepared for that.

However there was no email or note the day before to remind me of the service, therefore allowing me to realize and adjust my schedule. Just an email on the day stating “you didn’t show up for the treatment so you’ll be charged full price” Full price, really. When you could’ve even called to remind me when I didn’t arrive 10 minutes in. I’d have gone to the spa in 4 minutes, it’s a 3+ hour treatment. There was time. Disgraceful.

Wow. So in that case, you didn’t provide the full service of a “five star” establishment, therefore I’ll leave a review about it, tell everyone I speak to about it, and never return to this hotel, even though we will now be visiting monthly this year for projects we’re working on. Great job at guest retention guys 👍🏼 Reeeally professional five star service. Pfft. I can see how little you care about your guests. 🙄

In addition, the restaurant was mediocre, in decor and cuisine. We’d planned to dine there every night but after the first night’s bland dishes, we demurred. It’s edible for sure, but with very little imagination or flavor.

The hotel decor is old fashioned but tasteful, a bit worn, but the service is TERRIBLE. Except for the housekeeping who were lovely, the very helpful doormen, and the restaurant manager (?) who was very, very kind, despite working in very basic surroundings. But front desk are dismissive, disorganized, unprofessional and clearly uninterested. Especially Monica.

Definitely stay elsewhere, and definitely don’t trust the front desk or spa to manage or remind you of your bookings. They actively want you to not arrive, so they can just steal your payment & leave you without a treatment you may sorely need as a busy traveling professional.

I hope you enjoyed stealing that payment, because you won’t get another...

Old School Italian Hospitality at its Best !!!

When you enter the hotel, you get a warm feeling of old school luxury. It is as if your transported back to the 18th Century. The hotel in is gorgeous, and the staff are superb. They really know what hospitality is about and it’s been a while since I have experienced this level of hospitality.

I am an avid traveler who stays in 3 different 5 star properties a month, but this one really stood out. The hotel staff did small gestures which just add to the whole charm this hotel carries. For example, they knew we were celebrating our baby moon and had a beautiful cake with a picture congratulating us waiting in the room for us. Everywhere we dined in the hotel, they would double check all the food my wife can have. This shows the attention to detail the staff are trained with.

Room:

We stayed in the Mosiac room, it was spacious enough and although had the old school charm, it had all the modern world amenities that one requires. I particularly liked the size of the room ( I normally complain about this in Europe as asia and other places are generous with the size) but no complains this time around.

Food:

The breakfast is amazing. They have a lovely spread and the restaurant seating gets beautiful light that just adds to the flavor.

At the lobby lounge I did my usual “Club Sandwich Test”: I normally always order a club sand which in every hotel that I stay in. Every 5 star hotel in the world has that one common dish which is a club sandwich. And based on this sandwich I judge the food. (since it’s the same dish everywhere it is fair to judge on that). I am happy to say that the club sandwich was the best club sandwich I have had in the 48 5 star hotels I have stayed around the world (this includes all the four seasons, mandarin orientals, ritz all of them)

Special thanks to Shanna who helped us plan our itinerary and assist with our restaurant reservation, also to the young man who checked us in (I am forgetting his name) and the concierge desk. They were all lovely to speak to and deserve a pat on the back for their conduct and excellent...