beltway

Thanks for the detailed response.

Re Sheraton, I was really commenting on curb appeal; based on Street View, the Westin is bland cookie-cutter modern that could be anywhere, while the Sheraton at least has a historic facade.

ckendall

Agreed that the Westin looks like it was transplanted from Cleveland to Piazza Repubblica.

A few more: The Westin lobby is a lot nicer, with a well cared for area often with flowers, newspapers and a bowl of apples. The Sheraton is a bit tattier, and there's a little step up to get to the elevator that's a bit of a pain if you've got a heavy suitcase. Breakfast at the Westin has a better offering and more normal seating; in the Sheraton much of the seating is a bit too "cool" to facilitate easy eating.

Forstbetrieb

But at the Sheraton you can take breakfast also in the garden.

TRAVELSIG

I think your factors are more or less correct. Ask for a room overlooking the garden at the Sheraton and you will have no noise issues. As for the models- they don't eat or drink anyway so physically picking them up would probably be quite easy as they probably weigh about 40 kg. I actually don't see many models there so this was a joke. If you want to see that crowd head down to the Gray or Brera.

I think there are a lot more interesting restaurants around the Sheraton.

Forstbetrieb

Tu sei cattivo

There are a lot of necessary things, shops, restaurants etc. near to the Sheraton and less near to the Westin.

ckendall

Ah true, but it is always rainy and cold when I am in Milan (like next week...)

TRAVELSIG

Next week according to meteo.it does indeed look rainy and cold with perhaps even snow on Saturday the 25th.

You can always be like your Italian colleagues and just grab a brioche and cafe and skip "breakfast" altogether. There are a few good cafe around the area of porta Venezia.

ckendall

The Torrefazione cafe on Corso Buenos Aires (a few blocks up) has some of the best coffee I have ever had.

TRAVELSIG

^^^

MarkedMan

Considering they are a 10 minute walk from each other, I'd be hard pressed to make the decision based on what's close by, other than in cases when it's raining and you want something truly immediately outside your hotel. FWIW, we like Biancolatte in Viale Turati for breakfast and simple lunch, which is advantage Westin.

For us the deciding factor ends up being that we have friends we see who are on the Yellow metro line, and we always have to either come in or leave Milan by train, so Piazza Repubblica wins by a whisker.

TRAVELSIG

I think it is a 15 minute walk however you are right they are not that far apart (about 1km).

The area nearby the Sheraton is just a lot more interesting and has a lot more services. If arriving by car the critical difference with the Sheraton is that it is not in the Congestion charging area whereas the Westin is which makes a difference of a few EUR per day.

Biancolatte is a good choice ^

TravelinSperry

I stayed in a garden room with terrace. The noise was terrible as people may party on the terrace next to yours and the noise carries. As well the room I received was old old old. And the shower was a joke (very small) and in the tub. And breakfast was not good, although the garden area was nice. Not one model spotted. And I found restaurants hard to come by in the area. Had to walk quite a while to find decent ones. Doesn't mean the Westin is any better in that regard however.

TRAVELSIG

If people on the terrace next to you party that is too bad (although not really the fault of the hotel). Strange regarding the old rooms- the last two times I have stayed there I have had recently renovated rooms.

You are correct the showers are in the tubs in many rooms.

Breakfast not good? What was wrong (out of curiosity)?

As for the infamous models you probably need to be in Milano during fashion week if you want to spot them. Actually probably the models have moved on as they all seem to congregate at the so hip it physically hurts "the Gray" at P.za Duomo.

You can find the schedule here:
http://milanfashionweeklive.com

Cheers!

TravelinSperry

LOL, I certainly didn't stay there expecting models! So no issue there for me

As for shower in tub, it was not good. The tub in the room I had was very narrow. And the faucet for the tub jutted out into the tub. So you banged your knee on it all the time. Secondly the rain shower head was very low. Luckily, I too am very low - so it wasn't an issue for me. But if you're 6' or over, you'd have to shower while ducking

As for breakfast, it was quite a while ago. I recall the scrambled eggs being overly watery/runny and not much else on offer for a vegetarian. But as I say it's many mos ago and specifics are hard to come by. Perhaps I mentioned specifics earlier in this thread or my review on SPG.com.

Finally, I disagree re fault of the terrace. The hotel (or architect) has poorly insulated the doors to the terrace and between the rooms. As such, you hear everything in the older rooms (at least in the room I had). That is the hotels fault. They must be prepared for guests to make noise. And they must prepare the insulation so other guests are not disturbed by it.

ckendall

I believe the Westin (from where I am writing this message) is just outside the congestion area that starts on the other side of Piazza Repubblica. And in front of the Westin there is little interesting retail but just behind the Westin there are plenty of shops. And the view of the piazza is much nicer than the view from the Principe di Savoia (where you have to look at the Westin!).