Where to start....We were looking for a nice peaceful place to relax on the outskirts of Rome and picked a supposedly 3 star hotel described as having the soul of a mini resort.
The directions they gave were only to get off at a certain metro station, so we were walking around trying to find the hotel and despite ringing them, they only confused us further. The hotel is infact close to the metro station, but they made it very difficult for us as they only have a tiny sign outside the hotel. The receptionist greeted us with no enthusiasm and gave us our room which was on the third floor and of course the lift was broken. The room was tiny, we could barely squeeze between the bed and the wardrobe. The windows were locked and had bars like a prison - fire safety?? The TV had really poor reception and only Italien channels. In place of a welcome pack, it had a list of rules and regulations. The bathroom haha, what a joke. To use the toilet you would have to hold the toilet seat up as some genius had installed a towel rack directly behind the toilet. The bathroom was really crammed and they had installed a unneccesary bday squeezed in between the toilet and the mini bath. There was shower facilities within the bath, however no shower curtain saw the entire bathroom soaked. The fan was extremely poor and so the entire room just stank of damp. When we had our showers in the morning, we hung our wet towels to dry and when we returned later, we didn't get any fresh towels and the cleaner had only folded up our damp towels so they weren't even dry. On the sheet of rules and regulations, it stated we had to vacate the room at 11 in the morning for cleaning, however 5oclock that evening the cleaning was still not done. Highlighting our concerns of the toilet to the manager, he decided in the evening time (the time we wished to be in the room) to invite his builder friend to saw half the toilet seat off and bend the towel rack so everything could fit. Hilarious stuff! Come bedtime, we wanted an uninterupted rest, but with the planes flying over, the next doors conversations and the lack of decent curtains there wasnt a chance. The pool facilities were a work in progress but were a good addition to the hotel. The surroundings of the hotel was urban sprawl and didnt include any attractions but it is only a 20minute metro ride to the centre of Rome. The breakfast...never in my life have I stayed in a hotel where Im required to leave the complex, walk down the road with poor instructions and find a cafe. Then, passing over the bit of scrap paper the receptionist gave us, the waitress just stared at us waiting for us to say something. We were apparently supposed to pick out a sugar coated and filled pastry and a coffee but noone told us this was what we were expected to do. Everything about the hotel was vague and they never gave us detailed info. They also had a misleading statement on their sheet in the room, stating they provided a shuttle to the airport Ciamino - to them this meant they would point in the direction you had to head off in. Getting into the hotel you had to press a buzzer on the outside of a gate, however in order to leave the hotel you also needed the permission of the reception as they had to buzz you out of the gate as well, which didnt give any sense of freedom. A very poor hotel, they need to get their act together for the sake of their future guests.
