Hotel Tivoli Milano President — Hotel in Milan

Stayed at numerous 5 star hotels around the world, due to work but also out of leisure. The 3 things that made this hotel the worst 5 star hotel to me in the world (and really not even a 5 star hotel if we’re honest) were:

1. cleanliness of the rooms. I discovered mold on a broken toilet flush. Fingerprints all over room fridge, dust everywhere.

2. the staff. Even though most of the staff was nice or trying their best, one lady at the reception that was shorter with short hair and a bit on the curvier side, ought to be fired. I’m 6 months pregnant when I stayed at this hotel. Their directly connected parking garage is a city one and is apparently not associated with them. We needed 3 more Euros to leave. 3 Euros in cash! I tried to exchange it with her at the reception in various ways and she was not willing to help, even tough I could see her younger colleague looking at her like “let’s do it”. I told her I was feeling not well and also needed to get I an important appointment in time I was late for. She enjoyed the power in a way from what it felt like and remained rigid, rude and cold. I had to walk them in 30 degree Celsius heat to get to the ATM and take out the 3 Euros.

But that wasn’t the only thing about the staff. When my friend and I checked in for our rooms, they ‘lost ‘ our luggage, even though we told them explicitly about like 5 times were it was by the garage. We ended up having to take it up to the room ourselves after like 1.5 hours.

Like I said, all in all worst 5 star hotel staff I’ve ever encountered in my past 15 years of traveling and again, if I were the manager of the hotel, the receptionist would be fired as she was already miserable and rude during check out and not only to me but to other guests too.

3. amenities. The gym is a joke and packed into the last, cellar corner area of the hotel with no windows at all. The work is slow. Oh and the breakfast was terrible too. I’d have expected more, especially in Italy but it just wasn’t good for a supposedly ‘5 star hotel’ again.

The thing that ended up being good about the hotel were it’s location and proximity to Milan’s most touristy destinations such as the galleria and the Duomo. The bed was comfortable too. Yet, I wouldn’t choose to stay at this...

The Hotel NH Collection Milano President is listed on Google Maps as a 5-star hotel, located just a few blocks from the Duomo. In terms of location, you can't beat where this hotel is located.

At the time I visited (January 2024) there was a lot of construction around the hotel. The hotel lobby was very nice, with a doorman/security and a full front desk staff. Directly off the lobby there is a nicely decorated 'lobby bar' where I had a great glass of Chianti.

The rooms were inferno-hot! In fairness it was January when I visited but the heat in the room was better suited for growing tomatoes than for making a traveler comfortable - unless you like living in a green house.

Turning off the heat will eventually provide some relief. If you are like me and like it on the colder side there is no way to regulate the cold side of the temperature other than what you get with the heater off. If you want it any colder than that you'll have to open the window, which is what I had to do. If it's colder outside this will solve your room inferno problem but will introduce ear piercing noise into your room from passing trains, cars, and emergency vehicles. Ear plugs will help. This method, on a really cold day, isn't practical as the room will wind up too cold. There's just no way to guarantee a 'comfortable' temperature for all guests at this hotel at outside temperature extremes. This is typical of most European hotels.

The styling of the room borders on contemporary. The bed is comfortable with many different pillows, ensuring that you'll find a pillow or two that pleases your taste.

The shower was pure evil - modulating between flame throwing temperatures and cryogenic preservation. Maybe this is part of their water preservation plan because that shower was absolutely horrible.

The morning breakfast is really nice. The roving wait staff is always there to clear your table or get you something special. Ysabella provided exceptional service and was friendly and helpful.

This is NOT a 5-star hotel. If this hotel would have advertised as a 4-star hotel I would have given it 4 stars. I am rating this hotel at 3 stars because it falls way short of a 5-star hotel, and below what I would expect from a...

I’ve stayed at numerous 5-star hotels around the world - both for work and leisure. These are the three main reasons why this hotel stood out as the worst 5-star hotel experience I've ever had (and frankly, I wouldn’t even consider it a true 5-star hotel):

1. Cleanliness of the rooms: I found mold on a broken toilet flush, fingerprints all over the minibar fridge, and dust everywhere. It felt neglected and unhygienic - completely unacceptable for any hotel, let alone one claiming to be 5-star.

2. The staff: While most of the staff were polite or at least trying, one woman at the reception - short, with short hair and a curvier build - should be fired. I was 8 months pregnant during my stay and needed just €3 in cash to exit the parking garage (which is city-owned but directly connected to the hotel). I asked her if I could exchange or break a bill in any way—she refused to help, despite her younger colleague clearly wanting to assist. I explained that I wasn’t feeling well and was late for an important appointment. She remained rigid, cold, and visibly enjoyed the power dynamic. I had to walk to an ATM in 30°C heat just to get €3.

That wasn’t the only issue.

When my friend and I checked in, they “lost” our luggage - despite us telling them about five times exactly where we had left it by the garage. After 1.5 hours, we ended up retrieving it and carrying it up ourselves. In my 15 years of travel, this was the worst hotel staff experience I’ve had. That same receptionist was rude again during checkout - not just to me, but to other guests as well. If I were the manager, she would be gone.

3. Amenities: The gym was laughably small - tucked away in a dark cellar corner with no windows. The Wi-Fi was slow. The breakfast was a huge disappointment, especially for a hotel in Italy. Definitely not what you’d expect from a 5-star property.

The only positives were the location - close to Milan’s main tourist sites like the Galleria and the Duomo - and the bed, which was comfortable.

That said, I would absolutely never stay at this...