Uptown Palace

Besides the occasional leisure tourists, the Uptown Palace mainly hosts business travelers visiting Milan for work. Its dark stone and glass edifice sits on a workaday street across from a university and a theater. Interiors feature contemporary decor and though sleek and clean, are a bit bland. The lobby has shiny, cream-colored marble floors sparkling under many high hat lights and sconces. The furnishings are modern but not design-forward: small-scale club chairs upholstered in muted brown and gray are scattered throughout the property. However, the hotel's clustered seating lacks the warm accent lighting, varied textiles, and compelling art that make a place worthy of lingering. The bar, in black paneled wood, has a handful of inviting red leather stools with a lounge area of brown, red, and gray upholstered chairs paired with shiny black coffee tables. The Up Restaurant, serving lunch and dinner, has pale gray leather chairs and walls paneled in buff leather rectangles and squares.

The Uptown Palace is situated in a convenient location in central Milan. It's a two-minute walk from the hotel to the Corso di Porta Romana, a historic street lined with shops, bars, and restaurants. A stop for a hop on/hop off tourist bus is a five-minute walk away from the hotel. The hotel sits between two metro stops, the Missori and Crocetta, which give easy access to most sites, though the central location means many attractions can be reached on foot; Milan's famed Duomo is under a 15-minute walk away, where guests will also find the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the world's first and perhaps its most aesthetically charming shopping mall. The city's opera house, La Scala, can be reached in under 15 minutes via public transportation. The Milan-Malpensa Airport is about an hour away by car, or a bit over an hour by train from the hotel. Linate Airport is a half-hour via bus or 20 minutes by car, while the Bergamo Airport is about two hours by train or an hour car ride.

Sleek, modern rooms feature simple contemporary furnishings and a muted color palette of gray, cream, or brown. The hotel offers Classic, Superior, and Deluxe Rooms, as well as several suites, the largest of which -- the Presidential Suite -- has sprawling views, a whirlpool, shower, and sauna. Even the smallest rooms are ample-sized with sleek and spacious bathrooms outfitted in walk-in rainfall showers or tubs, contemporary polished chrome fittings, and the hotel's own brand of toiletries. Junior Suites have a lounge area, while Executive Suites have terraces and expansive views. All of the rooms have wood floors, beautiful linens with satin-edged throws, flat-screen TVs, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minibars, safes, slippers, and hairdryers. In-room Wi-Fi incurs an extra charge.

The hotel mainly caters to business travelers, and its amenities reflect this, with a comprehensive business center and five modular meeting rooms. Lighting and equipment is tailored to needs of participants. The hotel's Up Restaurant serves a range of Italian dishes for lunch and dinner, plus a breakfast buffet is included in the room rates. Laundry services are offered for a fee. For the rare guests here traveling with children, there are cribs and baby sitting services available for a fee. Although Wi-Fi is free in the hotel's common areas, there's a charge for in-room use.