Hotel Review - Hotel Nardizzi American - Dirtiest Hotel

I’m wondering why you stayed even one night there, let alone three.
We rented an apt in Paris for 15 nights in 2017. Walked in and saw that it was disgusting - mold and other unacceptable issues. We left immediately and went to a hotel.

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I would be leery of any European hotel with "Americana" in the name! I hate it when a hotel clerk scolds me for something I'm not doing.

I hope you post a review on TripAdvisor to reach more people.

TripAdvisor reviews are all over the range on this one. However most people do point out that it’s a budget place with location being it’s best attribute.

It’s also worthwhile to note the OP on this thread has exactly 1 posting. So treat it accordingly.

Fair number of red flags on Trip Advisor and Booking... more evidence that any RS hotel recommendation (especially budget options) need to be vetted using other resources...

So sorry for your bad experience! You are not required to keep staying in a hotel that is bad unless you have no other financial options.

I wonder if any Rick Steves tours still stay here? On my 21 day Best of Europe we stayed here but it was a number of years ago and things can change. I'd assume they would lose the tour trade due to cleanliness issues. Mostly I remember the weird door buzzer system to get in the big front doors.

I take it with the some caution. I am always suspicious of first time posters who come with a long negative rant with no way to confirm one way or another. After the first paragraph I would be more impressed if they left after the first night and rant had to do with getting a refund.

I appreciate the poster taking the time to give specific examples of how this recommended hotel fell short.

I stayed at the Nardizzi about 4 years ago prior to a HOI tour that was using the Aberdeen. The Aberdeen wasn’t available the night before the tour began so I booked the Nardizzi for 1 night as it was only a few doors down from the Aberdeen. To call the Nardizzi a budget hotel is being gracious. I wouldn’t stay there again.

I don't think it's fair to criticize travelers for not leaving an unsatisfactory hotel early and potentially walking away without a refund. A lot of those unsatisfactory places are budget hotels, and folks with a lot of cash to spare probably don't book them to begin with. In recent years I haven't encountered a dirty hotel, but I've certainly run into some whose air conditioning wasn't working or whose Wi-Fi was virtually unusable--selection criterion that are very important to me. I did not choose to decamp and scramble for alternative lodgings. On the occasion when I decided to stay longer in the city, I did switch to another hotel for the additional nights.

I agree with acraven. My mom and I had an issue with an Airbnb being dirty and not as advertised in Bath this past summer, in spite of communication I had with the owner about health issues. The mold and mildew was making me sick after being in the apartment for an hour. We would have bit the bullet and stayed because of the cost and not really being able to afford to pay for two places, although I would have felt pretty sick for the week. Fortunately, I had copies of our communication, communicated immediately with Airbnb and they agreed to refund us 100% and we were able to find other accommodations. However, being a budget traveler, I completely understand not being able to move to a better place for financial reasons. It can be super expensive to get something last minute, on top of possibly losing money by leaving the original place early.

Where is this hotel located (city, please)? These names - Nardizzi and Aberdeen sound familiar to me.

The location is Rome.

I do take a little offense at being criticized and not believed just because I am a first time poster with a negative issue - everyone starts posting at some point or another. We also found a restaurant and a gelato place in Rome, neither of which was in Rick Steve's book, that were fantastic. My niece wanted to post about those spots.

I did stay as I was travelling with my niece and nephew who were on a much tighter budget than me. It would have been hard to find another place on the spur of the moment at this time of year. But just because people are on a tight budget does not and should not mean that standards can't be held. I was not expecting a place as nice as the hotel I prefer in Florence (I treated our group to the stay at that hotel on this most recent trip) but I was expecting better, particularly from a place recommended in the Rick Steve's guide. The guide has never failed me until now.

I appreciate the tips and support many of you have shown.

Hey, Angie. I appreciate your post and your return to comment. I have no doubt your post is genuine and appreciate your feedback on the RS recommendation. I gave up on his recommendations several years ago for hotels when I was going to Vienna and compared his budget recommendations against what was posted about them on Trip Advisor (back when TA was less susceptible to manipulation... I still use TA some but rely on Booking more now). I used other resources way back then and found a decent spot for the right price that had good reviews on Trip Advisor; I had a good experience when I stayed there. I will emphasize that you are not alone in your experience; the occasional review pops up here from someone who stayed at a RS recommended place and hated it for legitimate reasons. In all fairness, I should say the vast majority of folks here seem to really like the RS recommendations for lodging.

As for criticism of your post... The Forum periodically has what I call "one hit wonders" -- people who write a single post shredding a company or a government entity (in the latter case, usually when it enforces its own laws) and never return.. The way those posts are written, I can often imagine the poster standing in front of the owner, having an adult temper tantrum and placing hands on hips while shouting, "I'm going to post on every social media site I can find how terrible you are." I did NOT have that sense from your post. But prior "one hit wonder" posts make Forum participants a little skeptical. Hopefully... you will continue hanging out with us and contribute more of your travel experiences. If so, you will no doubt encounter one hit wonders.

Thanks again for taking the time to post.

We’ve stayed in 11 RS recommended hotels, 3 were fine, the rest were not good, and one was beyond bad. Stopped using his recommendations years ago. We use Booking.com or Hotels.com and have been very happy with them. Only people that have stayed there are able to leave a review and the reviews are super helpful.
I hope you get a nicer place to stay next time... : )

Here’s a post from someone right before your post who also had a bad experience with a RS hotel...

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france-reviews/paris-hotel-relais-bosquet-photos-rat-poison-black-mold-offered-us-money-for-silence

Sad story. I thought maybe you were consulting an older RS book, but I just checked my RS 2020 Rome book, and this hotel is still among the recommendations. I hope you at least got the RS discount. Personally, I pay little attention, if any, to RS hotel recs, and consult mostly Booking.com, especially the reviews posted there by past guests.

I see it listed in the RS Italy 2020 guidebook, also, on page 924.

It’s described with a small rooftop terrace, 40 standard rooms and a laid back atmosphere. I’d hate to think that 40 people each night are going through your recent experience.

I also never read the hotel list recommended in the RS book. I use Booking.com and then view the “travelers’ photos” of my final 2-3 on TripAdvisor to ensure that the hotels’ photos haven’t glossed over something important.