Hotel Mediolanum Milan

The modest gray stone-and-glass exterior of the Hotel Mediolanum Milan belies its Pop Art interior, with its midnight-blue walls, gray shag carpets, red velvet armchairs, and soft gray velour sofas. Saarinen tulip chairs surround tables in the lounge, and there's kinetic sculpture on shelves; bold, color-block artwork on the walls; chrome bar stools shaped like suction cups; carnation-red hallways; and a royal-blue runner on a white staircase. It's fun, but it might be sensory overload for some. In contrast, the breakfast room, with a slat-wood vaulted ceiling, is a soothing periwinkle blue. In the afternoon, the bar pops open prosecco and puts out nibbles -- for a fee -- for the cocktail hour. 

The hotel is located between Central Railway Station, Porta Venezia, Piazza della Repubblica, and the Porto Garibaldi station. The nearest metro stop is Calazzo, about a five-minute walk from the hotel. There are a few restaurants and bars in the immediate area, and it's a seven minute walk to the elegant Coros Buenes Aires and to the Pirelli Tower. Most major attractions aren't within walking distance, but they can be reached by public transportation, such as La Scala Opera (18 minutes), the Milan Cathedral (15 minutes), and Pinoteca di Brera (18 minutes), the most comprehensive collection of paintings in Milan, and Fiera Milano City (26 minutes), the downtown exhibition center. For more shopping, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade is about a 15-minute drive or train ride. The Navigli neighborhood of canals and bridges is about a half-hour drive or a 20-minute train ride from the hotel. Linate Airport is a 25-minute drive or 36-minute train ride, and the larger Milan Malpensa Airport is a 50-minute drive or a little over an hour away by train.

Walls are like canvases in the 51 rooms of the Hotel Mediolanum Milan -- fat, curved rainbows accent some walls, while bands-of-color headboards inspired by conceptual art are in others. White rooms accented by solid purple walls have desks of warm cherrywood. Single, pod-like rooms, in shades of green, have bathroom walls with half-glass views to the bidets. Superior and Deluxe Rooms include chromotherapy lighting, which guests can adjust to suit their mood -- yellow is said to soothe jangled nerves. All rooms come with flat-screen TVs with pay and satellite channels, electric kettles for tea and coffee, minibars, safes, and free Wi-Fi. Larger, higher-priced room categories add robes and slippers, and more minibar offerings. Bathrooms have dark-gray tile, stained-wood floors, bidets, curvy chrome towel racks, white fixtures, and the hotel's own brand of toiletries. Shower/tub combos have curtains, a somewhat dated feature; stall showers are narrow. All rooms include an orchid, a token of nature at this eco-conscious property, whose paint and products are organically based.

A large breakfast buffet of grilled vegetables, cured meats, fresh fruits, and cheeses is included in the room rate, and newspapers are available in the lobby. A business corner off the lobby includes a computer and a fax machine, and plenty of brochures on Milan. The reception desk is staffed 24-hours, and there's a rental car office on-site. Guests can use the gym at the nearby Sanpi Hotel at no extra charge, and can arrange room massages for a fee. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.