Have you ever camped out at a hotel? I got close to it at the Westin Milan when I stayed inside all day for a spa day in Milan but it was truly at the Milan Sheraton Diana Majestic that I can say I was luxury camping. It’s an interesting stay and a wonderful example of how Starwood (SPG) points (now Marriott) are both valuable and convenient on the road.
When I was on sabbatical (aka drowning my sorrows of a job loss on a three month European jaunt), I planned for a month in Italy from the bottom (Naples, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast and Capri) through the middle (Florence) over to the right (Venice) and ending in Milan for the Expo (an exhausting event that caused my feet to call in quits). I was to stay in Milan only a few days, first for Expo at the Airbnb in Milan Navigli and then for a weekend of luxury at the Westin Milan. The Westin was my swan song to Italy or so I thought.
A Luxury Camp Out at the Milan Sheraton Diana
Ok, so I wasn’t camping out in the normal sense of camping (i.e. a tent) but rather staying at the hotel with nothing to do from my check in on Monday until my flight to Malta on Thursday. It was a last minute change of plans, my flight to Malta, and I couldn’t figure out where to go in three days that wasn’t both time consuming and expensive (i.e. Lake Como) so I decided to redeem points (a great deal) and wait it out at the historic Milan hotel, the Milan Sheraton Diana Majestic. Sadly, the Westin Milan, where I could have happily lived on room service and movies, was full.
Camping out with nothing to do at the four star Milan Sheraton Diana wasn’t hard, staying in Milan was the tough part since I had already been there a week and toured the hightlights (Milan walking tour of the Last Supper) and it was my third visit to the city over the years. Honestly, I probably didn’t try hard enough to find stuff to do. (Please share below for other to know what to do/see and how to spend a week in the city). So my day planner was empty, the only things I needed to do were eat and sleep.
Compounding my stay was that “everything is closed on Monday” I was told when I inquired about a manicure and contact lens solution which was only available from the pharmacy. Tuesday, during my stay, was “a public holiday, everything is closed today” (it was May) so Wednesday would be my day out – my spa day. I needed a good bit of work after a month traveling so had the concierge (older gentleman) call the Four Seasons Milan Spa (when in doubt, book a five star spa, its more money of course but they will usually speak English and you have some idea of services/expectations) to book my appointments since I had no luck with the local spas as they spoke Italian.
Location – Milan Sheraton Diana Majestic
The Sheraton Diana is a historical hotel in what appeared to be a residential area of the city. It was a short taxi ride down the road from the Westin Milan and a trolley runs in the middle of the street. At the intersection you only need to make a left to walk in to the center of the city to the Duomo, Opera House or Four Seasons Milan in about 20-30 minutes, more if you stop to shop and eat pastries like I did. There are cafes, a supermarket and restaurants in the area making it easy to wander around and find what you need (except if it’s a Monday or a Tuesday holiday when things are closed)
Arrival
A bellman greeted my cab and escorted me first to the front desk and then to my room which was ready early (I asked the Westin staff to call ahead for me before leaving since I could have stayed until 4pm late checkout and didn’t want to leave if the room wasn’t ready). The front desk gentlemen were old school classic Italian hoteliers. If you were to cast a movie, these are the guys that add character and atmosphere to what you imagine Italy to be.
Standard Award Stay Room at Milan Sheraton Diana
I had booked a Classic Double room with my Starwood points (now Marriott) and was given an upgrade (view) due to my SPG gold status to an actual green garden view not the US version of a garden view with is the highway or other dreadful view. The king size bed took up much of the room but with two rather tall windows and higher ceilings, the room appeared much bigger. The small desk was easy to work on and the strong Wi-Fi allowed me to catch up on some blog posts as well as do research on my vacation in Gozo, my next destination.
The bed was very comfortable and the look and feel quite antique Italian which is in line with the historic nature of the hotel.
Bathroom at Sheraton Milan
There was a step up into the bathroom, which is only important to remember in the middle of the night so you don’t trip on the way out onto the furniture or on the way in and land on the floor. The other interesting fact was that the toilet was the loudest I’ve ever heard when it was slowly filling up after flushing (no biggie during the day but at night was noisy). I was staying only three nights otherwise, I would have requested a new room. I gave the front desk the note for engineering to fix upon departure.
Outdoor Garden Patio at Milan Sheraton Diana
The hotel lobby bar is definitely a place to be seen by locals as I learned during my stay. The outdoor garden tables were quite coveted and lively during the week. As I worked in my room, I was a bit envious of the fun folks seemed to be having below my window. I did once try to join in but I would have been alone at the bar as people were seated in groups so I escaped back to my room to be antisocial.
Room Service at Sheraton Milan
The fun of working in the room and camping out is ordering room service which I did twice during my stay. The food arrived quickly and was quite good. After a month in Italy, I was thrilled with a burger and fries.
Breakfast in the Garden
While room service was good, breakfast in the garden was not during my visit. Service was forgetful, food was forgotten, and I was ignored. I had to complain in the lovely garden setting to get my two eggs with a glass of OJ as I was ordering ala carte rather than the buffet. Unfortunately this is often the case at many hotels when you want to order ala carte which I need to do because of my food allergy. My breakfast bill was waived as it should have been given the lack of service. Hopefully this was an isolated incident but I went elsewhere for breakfast the other days.
Staff at the Milan Sheraton Diana
The front desk was consistently wonderful during my stay. I rarely saw a line and they were helpful to suggest restaurants in the area, apologetic about the two days of nothing open and consistent in attempting to find a way to ship my clothes to London (we found no good options, I would ship items from Malta to London). I was greeted each time I entered the hotel. If you want to feel special and acknowledged, this is the place for it as they are keen to make all stays memorable.
Overall Thoughts – Milan Sheraton Diana Majestic
The Milan Sheraton Diana Majestic is a lovely hotel for your visit to Milan whether for business or leisure. It is an excellent use of SPG (now Marriott) points for a reward stay. At night, locals were enjoying the hotel bar and garden which is always a good sign of how integrated the hotel is with the citizens offering a good experience. The staff were lovely and if you ever need to camp out in luxury and relax, this is a great hotel to do so.
