Heart of Italy Tour 2017

Have never had an issue with cleanliness in any RS tour hotel.

All were in older buildings, but saw nothing that concerned me that upkeep was not up to snuff.

RS Tours takes thousands of people every year to the hotels, and if they were dumps, you would read about it here.

Bashful, is not a description for the folks on this forum .

Nomad,

Asking about hotels used on previous tours may or may not provide the answers you're looking for. At times RS tours uses different hotels on each tour, subject to availability. The best way to know about the hotels that will be used on your tour would be to contact the RS tour department.

I've been on eight tours and never had any complaints with the hotels that were used on any of them. Some were a bit older but all were clean and comfortable. I'd suggest keeping an open mind and "go with the flow".

Hi, Nomadgirl, and welcome to the RS Italy forum -

I haven't taken an RS tour so am probably not who you were hoping to hear from! I have, however, spent a lot of time on the forums and don't want your first question to go without at least some sort of response. Also, this will kick your post back up to the top so it'll be more visible to people who may have missed it.

My take, as an independent traveler (so far) myself? Signing up for a tour means cheerfully exchanging the autonomy of making all the arrangements yourself for the convenience of having all that - hotels, restaurants, transport, guide services, etc. - taken care of. Also, some who opt for tours find traveling in the company of others to be a bonus - they enjoy daily camaraderie - and may feel more secure with a group.

It is a trade-off, though, and I'll emphasize that "cheerfully" above as if a few hotel rooms which don't meet personal standards will spoil the trip, then maybe a tour isn't for you? This is especially true if that disappointment would color your ability to abide by the Steve's "no grump" policy for all of their tours. I'm not implying that you would have a problem with that at all but, well, a visibly, audibly, unhappy camper is no fun for everyone else.

Why haven't we taken a tour? Not because we'll have to let them choose our beds for us but because we simply enjoy more time in one place than the tours provide, and the freedom of doing exactly what we want to, when we want to. It is such an important factor of our trips that the convenience of a package isn't worth the trade-off at this time in our lives.

So you may need to weigh how important the accommodations piece is to you? If not being able to choose them yourself is going to cause much anxiety before you go and/or possibly trip-spoiling disappointment once you're there, then you might reconsider if the tour.

The GOOD news is that I ran through all of the reviews for "Heart of Italy" and only one person had a big enough issue with the rooms to make it an issue in their review. One. That's a tiny percentage. We've also stayed in a variety of Italian hotel rooms and while a few have been a bit cramped - smaller rooms than in the U.S. are common - and a little worn around the edges, all have been comfortable and plenty clean enough. Bathrooms, especially, have all been very nice. :O)

(editing to add: I see that 2 others added posts while I was still typing!)

I don't know which hotels exactly that your tour will stay at, since they depend on the departure date, but all those that I saw in the rotation are 3-star hotels. You'll receive the rest of your list (two more hotels) about a month before departure.

I don't think it is Rick's theory that hotels "should be given a lot of slack on standards." He doesn't care to pay for services that he won't use, which is what more hotel stars usually mean. And he believes that a handy location beats other niceties that you might choose to trade away. His guidebook listings try to make clear what the upside or downside of any recommend hotel might be, so that independent travelers can decide. Our tours will sometimes use hotels that aren't in the book but that have been thoroughly vetted. Whatever your standard level is, it can cost more in popular cities like Rome and Florence.

I haven't had a problem with any of the hotels we have taken, but I understand your concern because you sound a lot like I did before I signed up for our first tour. But, all my fears were unfounded, and we just signed up for number 4. When I got the list of hotels for our first tour, I looked them up on sites like Trip Advisor and felt kind of lack luster about the reviews and was really worried I had made a decision. But I am glad I didn't let that stop me, because everything turned out great! The hotels are kind of quirky, but that doesn't mean dirty or run down or missing anything necessary. It usually means a smaller, maybe family-run hotel where you get nice staff and a lot of personal attention. Since the hotels are smaller and have fewer guests, they are automatically reviewed less often and thus lower in TripAdvisor's ranking.

My hotels on the tours have been one of the best parts! In Florence we walked out our front door and could see the Duomo. In Venice, we were a 2 minute walk from St. Marks Square. In Lake Como we had the most beautiful room overlooking a gorgeous garden and the lake. In Hallstatt we stayed in a hotel with giant, luxurious rooms right on the lake. In Scotland we had the cutest B & B on the water in Oban. We have found that there are a few just boring, serviceable hotels that are clean and comfortable but nothing especially exciting on each tour, and then some really fun, spectacular ones. But one thing they all have in common is a great location! That is worth everything when you are only in a place for 2 nights.

I think you will have a great time! Try not to worry. :)

We have done 4 RS tours. On the first two we were pleasantly surprised at how good the hotels were. They were ranked solidly mediocre on TripAdvisor, but turned out to be just fine. Very clean. Very well- maintained. On our third tour we had one really bad hotel. Dirty room and rodent droppings in the bathroom. It was not a great location either. All of the other hotels were so great we just chalked it up to bad luck. Our tour leader told us they would not be using that hotel the following season. On our fourth tour we had one really bad hotel and it was a 3 night stay. The double bed was impossibly small for two people, there was rippling carpet that we kept tripping on and we had a giant hole/ door in the bathroom that opened to the plumbing shaft and we could not get the door to stay closed. Ick
We will be doing our fifth tour this fall, and have decided that if we encounter another dirty hotel we will probably be taking a " break" from RS tours for a while. We don't need fancy but we do need clean and comfortable enough that we can get a good night's sleep.
None of those tours were the one you have booked. I consult TripAdvisor as well, and find that the traveler photos are the most accurate representation of hotels. Often negative reviews/ photos focus on just the " bad" rooms. Don't forget, even on a tour you are still a paying customer. If the room you are assigned is dirty, unsafe and/ or uncomfortable ask ( nicely) if you can be assigned another room. That doesn't make you a grump. It just means that you aren't a pushover.

Don't forget, even on a tour you are still a paying customer. If the
room you are assigned is dirty, unsafe and/ or uncomfortable ask (
nicely) if you can be assigned another room. That doesn't make you a
grump. It just means that you aren't a pushover.

Excellent point from T'Mom. You can certainly make the same sort of request on a tour that you would if encountering a room issue traveling independently. Figure also that RS tour leaders wouldn't enjoy substandard rooms either - they REALLY need to be able get a decent night's sleep - so my guess is that you're going to be just fine!

October, BTW, is a very nice time to travel in Italy. Temperatures should be much more comfortable than during the summer.

Also on the RS October 2017 Italy tour. Will be our second tour with RS. We travelled France with RS in 2015. I have to say that one of the most impressive features of our tour in France was the hotels. Each and every one was charming, clean, modern and quiet. I couldn't have been happier.
If you are used to 5 star lodging, you may be disappointed. But if you are open for an experience closer to the culture of the place, you will be delighted with each place.

Been on at least eight RS Tours and have done quite a bit of independent travel in Europe. Yes, many of the hotels on the tour are quirky -- but then so were the hotels we've used traveling independently. It is the quirkiness that makes them so charming and memorable. Only once in all our travels have we had to request another room due to a cleanliness issue and that request was handled well. The hotels in Europe are not cookie cutter boxes of rooms, but they are clean. October will be a great time to see Italy! Go and enjoy the quirkiness.

Three tours, never a bad hotel. Yes, the rooms can sometimes be small, the showers and elevators as well. Sometimes facing a busy street. But we've had some wonderful rooms as well. Its all about being near the attractions and not wasting time busing in from the 'burbs. Travel like a European, is Rick's theme, not like an American businessman on an expense account. For the tours, they have to find small, family run hotels in good locations, that are big enough to provide up to fifteen rooms, and agree to do so for a whole season. What I've noticed, is that the hotels go out of their way to please the RS tours, since they are such a lucrative repeat customer. That means sometimes they provide a welcome reception, a free drink, or early breakfast accommodation. I don't mind quirky if it's part of the experience.

Nomadgirl,

Welcome to the RS forum! I think you'll find most folks here pretty straight shooters.

We have never taken an RS tour so I can't directly address your concerns. It sounds like you've already signed up. I suggest you take a deep breath and relax. RS tours are tremendously popular and they wouldn't be so if they offered substandard service and accommodations.

I hope you have a wonderful time! Be sure to do a trip report on return to hopefully help others who might have the same apprehensions.

I have never taken a RS tour, but I run into tour folk from time to time and they always seem to be in a good mood.

Heart of Italy was my first Rick Steves tour and I really enjoyed it!

As indicated your hotels may not be the same as the hotels we stayed in in 2013 but in Volterra we stayed at Hotel La Locanda and in Monterosso we were split between Albergo Pasquale and Villa Steno which are owned by the same family. This at least gives you an idea.

In all the RS hotels I've stayed in over 8 tours of varying lengths (one week to 21 days), I've never experienced a dirty or shabby room. I am sorry others had to deal with that and I hope they made comments on the evaluation form.

The only hotel I did not like was in Switzerland where I was in a shared bath situation. I knew that tour had shared baths and after looking at TA I knew the single rooms were the ones that shared so I was prepared for it. It doesn't bother a lot of people but it's just not something I enjoy. The room and the toilet/bath facilities were very clean.

Since I always do the single supplement I do expect a smaller room so I am very happy when the hotel room is larger.

editing to add: What I thought was so neat about this tour was the contrast between the big cities of Rome and Florence with the smaller hill town and the seaside resort. It really gave a nice variety.

I loved all the hotels on my RS Tour - they were quaint, charming, and very clean.
All of the hotel staff were very friendly and the locations were wonderful. I believe only
one person on our tour had a "grump" but I think she wanted to be a Five Star Person! I'd
let Rick pick out my hotels any time; we have the same taste. Enjoy your trip.