NH Milano Machiavelli

The NH Milano Machiavelli is a chain property housed in a modern glass and concrete building. Its lobby, with vast terrazzo floors, gleams under pendant lamps and recessed lights placed in a wood paneled ceiling of bright blond wood, the same material used for the curving counter tops of the reception area. The seating areas are plentiful and roomy with snappy modern black and cream leather sofas and armchairs as well as low tables. During the week, the lobby hums with business travelers, and the six meeting rooms are in heavy rotation. The hotel's Caffè Niccolò Restaurant has a barrel-vaulted glass and slatted-wood ceiling and chairs in soft yellow, while the bar is a bit edgier with light filtered through black screens and sconces as well as a veranda.

The NH Milano Machiavelli is located in the bustling Porta Venezia District, an area filled with shops, restaurants, and architectural sites. It's a five-minute walk to the district's lush gardens and nine more minutes on foot to Milan's Natural History Museum and planetarium. La Scala Opera House is also a nine-minute walk from the hotel, while the vibrant Corso Buenos Aires, a main Milanese shopping street, can be reached in 13 minutes on foot. The Porta Venezia Metro stop is a six-minute walk from the hotel. The famed Duomo di Milano is a 12-minute drive or train ride. Malpensa Airport is 45 minutes away by car and over an hour by train. Note that the hotel has an on-site car rental service.

Guest rooms at the NH Milano Machiavelli depart from the bright, contemporary decor of the common spaces. The rooms can either feel streamlined or sparse, depending on perspective. Walls are white, occasionally printed with a damask pattern; windows are trimmed in white chiffon; and lighting is a bit dim. There are some elegant modern coffee tables, glass desks, and lamps, but the upholstered furniture feels a bit mismatched with the rest. Rooms come in four sizes from the Standard Single that sleeps one to the Junior Suite that sleeps three. Alarm clocks, minibars, safes, trouser presses, hairdryers, and flat-screen TVs come standard. Larger rooms include seating areas plus bathrobes, slippers, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and rainfall showerheads. Suites have the added bonus of Nespresso machines and two bathrooms. All of the hotel's bathrooms have terra-cotta-colored marble, bidets, heated towel racks, magnifying mirrors, and toiletries.

The hotel has a bar and restaurant that serves regional and international dishes as well as a free breakfast buffet in the mornings, though the food gets mixed reviews. Business travelers are well catered for with six meeting rooms as well as a comprehensive business center with a range of items to borrow or rent, such as laptops, PCs, fax machines, projectors, white boards, and audio-visual equipment. The ironing room in the cellar of this hotel adds a touch of old-fashioned Italy to the NH Milano Machiavelli. The same is true of the "Lazy Sunday" checkout that lets guest depart in the afternoon as well as the option of smoking rooms. The hotel also offers babysitting. Free newspapers are available in the lobby. Dogs and cats are welcome for a fee. (Guide dogs are free.) There are five floors of underground parking, though it incurs an extra fee.