OMG! - Hotel Sabotino Arco Romana in Milan

Cancel. I can honestly say that tripadvisor has never steered me wrong on hotel or restaurant reviews/ratings anywhere here in the U.S. or in Europe. On the other hand, Rick’s recommendations occasionally end up with poor reports on this helpline. I can usually trust his recommendations but only after a few validation points (like tripadvisor). I would cancel if you're concerned.

EDIT: I just took a look at this place. Are you kidding me? There is no way I would stay there under any circumstances.

I usually trust the Tripadvisor reviews. Read the cancellation policy for the hotel and cancel, even if there is a fine. I've done this and lost a little money. I learned to read the reviews BEFORE making a reservation. Another problem I've run into is reserving a hotel in an out-of-the-way location and deciding later that I wanted to be more centrally located. We all make mistakes.

I totally agree - cut your losses and cancel.

This is the first hotel of the entire trip that we booked, as it was recommended by RS. According to the “Guidebook Updates” page, the hotel has had a name change and extensive renovations. The problem is that is when it is reviewed as Hotel "Sabotino", then it has all "Terrible ratings". However, when it is reviewed as the "Arco Romana", then it appears to have ratings of 6 out of 10, which is only a mild improvement. What's the minimum rating that is not going to gag my wife?

I would trust the RS book. Also you can search thru the RS feedback at http://www.ricksteves.com/books/feedback/index.cfm

The general rule with online reviews is to trust the negative ones but take the positive ones with a grain of salt. Cancel.

Cancel! This sounds awful.

Don't go by the numbers on the ratings. Read the reviews.