In Milan, Putting an A.I. Travel Assistant to the Test
It was too early to strive the aperitivo spots that adopted on my listing, so I requested ChatGPT to indicate me just a few of Milan’s “hidden gems.” It got here up with a number of choices, together with the Porta Ticinese, which it described as a “stylish space with classic retailers, avenue artwork and a vigorous nightlife.”
However I used to be itching to see some artwork and historical past and opted for an additional ChatGPT suggestion: the San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, a church full of beautiful, vividly painted frescoes that depict tales of saints and scenes from the Bible. There have been no strains, and it was a peaceable strategy to wind down the day earlier than the normal (and scrumptious) Milanese veal chop dinner that awaited at Locanda alla Scala, the ultimate cease on my digital assistant’s itinerary.
I had requested ChatGPT to suggest a midrange boutique resort for the night time and it offered 4 choices, every with a one-sentence description. Usually, I’d perform intensive analysis earlier than reserving a resort room — studying critiques and asking native associates for suggestions. However this was, in spite of everything, an experiment, so I put my belief within the journey assistant and opted on my first night time for the Lodge Milano Scala, which ChatGPT described as a boutique resort with “a deal with sustainability and wellness.”
The resort had a handy central location inside strolling distance of many main sights. The workers was pleasant, and the room was snug and clear, claiming to have “glorious indoor air high quality,” offered by a filtration system. However regardless of being a small boutique resort, it felt overrun by vacationers, notably at breakfast, when teams arrived within the eating room on the similar time.
The human contact
In distinction, the Locanda Pandenus, the place I stayed the second night time, on the advice of Franziska Basso, a Milan-based journey designer for Dreamsteam Unique Journey (a member of the posh Virtuoso community), felt extra like staying in a house than a resort. With simply 4 bedrooms, reached by a small staircase above a restaurant, it was calm and comfortable and felt lower off from the bustle of town, regardless of its central location within the charming Brera neighborhood, stuffed with boutiques, artwork galleries and eating places.
