Will be doing the RS Sicily tour in November. Will be arriving about 4 days early and looking for a nice hotel to relax. The starting hotel for the tour is the Ambasciatori Hotel. The reviews are mixed and it sounds like some of the rooms are a bit tired and a bit iffy sometimes. The hotels on RS are usually fine for a couple days (this is our 9th RS tour), but I'm finding over the last 2 or 3 tours since Covid, we often are assigned the "Rick Steves" rooms (as described by the hotel staff so not sure if RS is negotiating down to these) which seem to have slightly reduced standards (usually no maid service, smaller rooms, cramped bathrooms, even more so than other small European type hotels, areas of hotel without elevators). Again I can do most any room for a day or two, but we will be arriving 4 days early and like to stay in a nice hotel. More than once we've been assigned these "RS room" even on the pre-arrival part of the stay when paying full rack rates. Gets to be a bit annoying to not have maid service for many days. So I've gotten more careful about booking.
I'm looking at the nearby NH, which as a chain I've often used in Europe.. Usually they are ok, I typically think of them as about the same standards as a US Holiday Inn or maybe Hilton Garden Inn.. Not high expectations, but rarely a horror show.
So anyone have any good experiences with any all around nice hotels in Palermo suitable for a 4 night pre-stay?