IH Exclusive Milano Ambasciatori

Guests enter the Hotel Ambasciatori under a stately archway with a glass canopy, but nothing else about the hotel is quite as impressive. The lobby's orange leather seating and circular wooden reception desk have more Italian minimalist cool than grand continental extravagance. Black-and-white photos of the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) and other nearby monuments speak to the city's history. Like the lobby, the furniture in Ambaciatori's restaurant is colorful, curvy, and modern, with polished stone door frames and detailed molding, a nod to the building's roots. The restaurant also offers an excellent view of Piazza Beccaria. 

Several of Milan's notable tourist attractions are within walking distance of the centrally located Hotel Ambasciatori. The Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), a Gothic structure constructed over six centuries, is seven minutes away on foot. Palazzo Sormani, a 16th-century building that has been used as a palace and art museum, and is now the seat of the public library, is a seven-minute walk. Quadrilatero della Moda, the luxury fashion district, is a six-minute walk away. The San Babila metro station is only four minutes by foot, and the ‎Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" is located, is just under 20 minutes away by metro. Porta Nuova, where several business headquarters are located, is about 10 minutes away by car or 20 minutes by public transportation. The Malpensa Airport is 70 minutes away via public transportation or 50 minutes away by car, while Linate Airport can be reached in half an hour by public transportation or about 25 minutes by car.

Hotel Ambiasciatori's rooms are generously sized and pleasantly designed, with contemporary furnishings that have a smidgen of modern style. Some spaces, however, are definitely better renovated than others. The designers who helped give the hotel a facelift focused on a few different types of materials: leather, lacquer, wood, and brushed cloth. Room categories include Standard, Superior, and Suites in Single, Twin, and Double Rooms, and the decor varies a bit between them. In some of the higher-category units, furnishings seem cosmopolitan and sophisticated, while others come across as dated and weathered. Suites have dark-wood headboards, desks, and night tables and elegant bathrooms with pale-gray walls, rainfall showers, and angular tubs. The less-impressive Standard Rooms have peacock blue lacquered night tables and desks, canary-yellow leather chairs, and a royal-blue carpet that could have easily lined the floor of a 1950s country club in a previous life. All rooms have minibars, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and bathrobes. Cribs can be borrowed free of charge. The bathrooms in these units are still comfortable, but feature dated marble tile and yellowed hairdryers with tube attachments.

Hotel Ambasciatori's amenities are limited, though the free breakfast gets great reviews and has plenty of continental pastries. Photocopy and fax services are available, but there's not much else in the way of a business center. The hotel does offer a meeting area, however, a boardroom-style space with a glass-top conference table and purple chairs plus basic audiovisual equipment. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. And babysitting can be arranged for a fee.