I stayed at the Excelsior a while ago and am only now writing a review as I was reviewing another hotel. My stay there was so terrible, I didn't feel like spending a second longer thinking of the place. I've stayed in many hotels in my lifetime, and I can pretty much attribute one of my worst experiences to this gem!

I agree with some other reviewers: it DOES NOT warrant 5 stars. I have no idea how it managed to get them! It is a 3 start at best. Don't be fooled by the lobby and the public areas when you enter - they are probably the best thing about this place. The rooms are only OK at best - they are certainly shabby and run down. Looked like the room was "well used". My room faced the back - and I got some local sounds and smells that one may not want (the 40C summer temperature didn't help much!). It was relatively clean. It was NOT a 5 star room; not by a mile! Don't be fooled by the pictures.

The STAFF is what make this place AWFUL. I have never in my life met such rude/offensive hotel staff. They seemed bored and uninterested; certainly not helpful on a good day. And, of course, I did have an event there to make my experience even MORE unpleasant than it had been until that moment: they hounded me down when they needed to contact me. When I got to the front desk, they accosted me as if I were a criminal: asking me how many people are staying in my room. It was shocking. Background: I was staying in town for a week for a friend's wedding. Having several friends/family in town, we would go back and forth through out the day to each others hotels, to meet up. As this hotel is very centrally located, it was the perfect place to pop in mid afternoon (since everything closes between 1 - 4 pm) after a morning of shopping in the city centre. So, this is what the hotel staff accosted me about! They demanded to know how many people were staying in my room - I said only myself. They told me we see people coming in/out all the time (surprise people! it's a HOTEL!) and you are accompanying them. Yes, they are my friends and they are just visiting me...well, they aren't allowed in your room, not even to visit. I was gobsmacked! NEVER in my life had I had to put up with such offensive behaviour. I actually told them that they have to be kidding. They rudely proceeded to tell me that I wasn't in America (nice. do they have something against Americans?). When I told them I wasn't American but Dutch, they went on to say that regardless, I'm in Italy now and this is how it works there. Rubbish. I have been to Italy more times than I can count and this never happens (and told them so, too!). I actually just told the desk employee that he was out of bounds, offensive, and turned away and walked away.

The rest of the stay wasn't much better. Housekeeping has issues with reading "do not disturb" signs on the door and entering the room without knocking. That's a treat if you just got out of the shower!

There are some good points: they are in a great location. They have nice toiletries from Etro. They are on a square right next to the police station so you feel safe. Other than that, well, there is no reason to stay there unless you get the deal of your life and are used to staying at 2* hotels!

There are many other hotels to stay in when visiting Catania. If you require more stars and central location, go for the UNA PALACE.