Castellania Trip

Free mini-bar for cold drinks

Good central location. No

Hotel Bristol Palace is a beautiful historic property in an excellent location for exploring Genoa. We walked to many of the major attractions, restaurants, aquarium, Piazza De Ferrari, and Columbus House. The hotel itself is elegant, bed exceptionally comfortable, and sheets and pillows among the best of our trip. The terrace restaurant is lovely. We had a wonderful dinner with attentive service and excellent wine recommendations. The highlight of our stay was Ivan at the bar, who was absolutely fantastic! He prepared his favorite versions of the cocktails we ordered with personality and pizzazz. I am giving four stars because, as an Expedia Gold member booking a VIP Access property, I expected the benefits to be recognized without having to ask for them. The two women at the front desk were very kind and helpful and checked with the manager, after which the complimentary breakfast was approved, but the room was not upgraded. The room itself was very nice, but our view was directly into the interior of the hotel including the noisy elevator shaft. As a VIP guest, and also as a travel writer hoping to photograph and feature the property, I was disappointed with the room placement and view. There was also a bit of confusion with a room service delivery, it arrived very late and for only one person, but we were still able to enjoy the buffet. The breakfast buffet could be improved with fresh instead of packaged gluten free selections. Overall, we had a pleasant stay.

Not at all as advertised. It shows up as a 4 star hotel. Instead imagine an old short-term rental studio with a confusing check-in and zero assistance. No front desk, no person to help. We got in and there were 4 packets with 4 different room keys sitting on a desk. Which room was ours? No clue. There were no names on the packets. I tried calling the number listed multiple times but no answer. So we picked a random room. Our family who arrived several hours before us had the same experience. Did we get rooms we paid for? Who knows. The room is really old. Door to the hallway doesn't close all the way with a single questionable lock. Doors to the windows and bathroom also don't close all the way. Only shampoo in the shower (no soap), two single towels. The daytime high was only 70 but without AC the room was really warm and too warm for us to sleep well. Had I booked a short-term rental half the price I would have been OK with all of this. But I booked what I thought was a 4 start hotel. Really disappointed and wishing I had spent half the amount I paid.