Antares Hotel Concorde - Milano, Italy     

I just got back from Milan this morning and I had the best experience, in great part because of this hotel. I will address points mentioned in previous reviews. The room: very clean and newly remodeled. Everything was new. The bathroom was very big and modern. The only problem was that they didn't have a shower curtain and many times the water splashed outside of the shower area. Safety: Very safe. I walked to and from the metro station (which is only two short blocks away) without any problems. Bear in mind, I am female and sometimes I'd walk at midnight and it was not a big deal at all. Staff: Very friendly, helpful and quick to respond to your needs and requests. Most of them spoke English. One or two did not but I speak Spanish so that was very helpful. But the ones who didn't speak English tried to understand or got someone to translate. (I found this to be the case in Milan, in general. People really tried to understand if you tried hard to communicate.) Something else is that happened to me is that my luggage was delayed (because of the airline). This hotel is right next to a grocery store so I was able to buy toiletries and other stuff very easily. There are other stores nearby including dry cleaners, bakeries, clothing, etc. I bought a blouse on the way to the metro once because I had to go to a conference meeting and my luggage was delayed an extra day. I also liked being away from the tourist areas and I felt that I met some of the regular people in the city.

Room is dusty, the staff who work there (front desk,maid,server) doesn't speak English, hence, often lead to misunderstanding. The air conditioner is not working and didn't inform us prior to our arrival. Lousy location and not much to look at. Quite dangerous at night if you want to go to convenient store, bring just enough cash, and remember to leave your room key to the front desk regardless how near you want to go. Room is not sound proof. If you look properly, most of the doors to the rooms are being tried to force entry. Even at night we can hear someone from outside was shouting, and door knob was being turned vigorously. Breakfast was lousy.