The Tocq, one of five Italian UNA resorts and hotels in Milan, is their four-star ’boutique’ offering. In reality it is a boutique-business hotel: opened in 1998 near the business district of Porta Garibaldi and the nightlife of Corso Como, it’s aimed at the work-hard/play-hard crowd.

The contemporary lobby and bar have Schrager aspirations, decked out in travertine stone, beech wood, glass walls and objets d’art. The large ground-floor bar, with its coloured neon-lit zones, imposing stainless-steel food island and central glass stairs (that lead up to the restaurant) is evidently hoping to compete with Corso Como’s finest.

But behind the façade, the 122 light and minimalist rooms are more Ikea than Le Corbusier, with beech furniture and panelling, beige furnishings and white bed linen. Business facilities aplenty don’t deter the Italian footballers who pile in on Sunday evenings after the game to take advantage of its tripping distance to and from the clubs.