Hey all,
We booked a 2 night stay for last weekend at this hotel recommended in a recent Rick Steves guidebook for Italy. It's directly across the street from the Vatican museum, which was a huge plus due to our travel itinerary and mobility issues with my travel companion. We had Tmark arrange port pickup and they agreed to check our bags prior to room check in time. As we were doing this, several guests remarked to the desk clerk, complaining about the lack of hot water. Frederico declined to speculate when it might be fixed. Apparently, the hot water had been out for 5 days before our arrival. No notice was provided, other than the overheard conversation in the lobby area. This hotel seems poorly staffed, with no busboy, only part time housekeeping and odd procedures for lighting and air conditioning. Lights only work if the room key is inserted, air conditioning is only available if the front desk turns it on/off. The positives? Elevator worked. Breakfast was on site and offered variety of choices. Not a place that I would return to anytime soon.
Posted by
ATL, USA
653 posts
I assume you meant "bellboy" or "porter", not busboy. The busboy is who schleps dirty dishes from the front of house to the dish pit in a restaurant. In any event, are bellboys or porters even a thing anymore except at luxury hotels? Was this a luxury hotel?
The key card in the slot controlling the lights is not an odd procedure - it is common all over Europe. It is an energy saving measure, so that guests don't go off and leave a lot of lights on. Energy is much more expensive in Europe than in North America. Same for the desk controlling the a/c - it's to eliminate wasting energy. I stayed in a hotel in Berlin a few years ago where if you opened the balcony door, the heat turned off.
I'm sorry you were disappointed, but what you're describing sounds standard to me, other than the lack of hot water.
Posted by
Washington DC
29669 posts
It is extremely common for lights to work only when the plastic room key is placed in a holder by the door.
Italy has some restrictive regulations (related to outside temperature and the calendar) about the use of heating and air conditioning. There are geographical differences.
It is maddening when a major part of the infrastructure--like hot water or summertime air conditioning--fails and is not rapidly repaired.
Posted by
Belgium
142 posts
Ha ha ... it's a terrible hotel. No warm water since mid october, very slow wifi, cockroaches in the rooms, very basic breakfast, no basic amenities such as shampoo, conditioner or shower gel in the bathroom... is this really recommended by RS?
Certainly avoid this hotel, not speaking yet about the horde of tourists in front of the entrance to enter the Vatican Museums.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3504 posts
marymatus50 welcome to the forum. This is a RS hosted community but there is no guarantee that they read every single post. I suggest giving this feedback directly to the RS guidebook staff - there is a form to fill out on this page, make sure to cite the specific guide you used: https://www.ricksteves.com/forms/guidebook-feedback-form
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
5029 posts
If you want a museum near Vatican Museums, you should stay at Hotel Museo, which is right down the steps. We have stayed there twice and loved it.
Posted by
Bend, OR
1694 posts
I would first say always check a number of sites for hotel reviews before booking and not just rely on one even if it is RS. But then I do see that the hotel was receiving 4 and 5 star reviews on numerous sites before the issue with the hot water in October. You’ve already been told the card key for the lights/electricity is not unusual in European hotels. Unexpected stuff does happen when we travel, sorry your stay was unpleasant.
Posted by
Southeast US, soon to be Kentucky
4401 posts
No hot water... definitely would be disappointed, too!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
11444 posts
Did the discount the price due to the lack of hot water?