Four Points by Sheraton Catania Hotel & Conference Center

The room was the biggest disappointment. It looked quite outdated and could use renovation, there was no minibar, just two sachets of instant coffee, one tea bag, and one serviette. For €200, I expected a different standard from a Sheraton and a 4-star hotel. I've seen mixed reviews, and after looking around I can see this may be one of the better hotels in Catania. Maybe the standard here is different, so read reviews carefully before booking. I didn't get a sea view either, though most rooms have one and the corner rooms don't. We booked partly because we wanted the pool for our child, but when I asked if it was open, I never got an answer. It wasn't working, so we left two days early after one night. Our flexible rate meant we weren't charged for the other three days, which was fair. The rest was fine: tasty breakfast, good service, and free parking in the hotel garage. Walking outside at night felt unsafe, with hardly anything to see, a very narrow sidewalk barely wide enough for one person, and cars driven like crazy. You'll need transportation to get to the city center. Catania is a big city, so it's strange to me that there aren't top-quality hotels downtown. It was a weird experience, and I was unpleasantly surprised by the room, even though the price wasn't very high. We still left smiling; nothing was insulting, it just wasn't the hotel we expected. I gave it four stars because I didn't want to be nasty, but I'd put it somewhere between 3 and 4.

The poor value for the money was a dealbreaker, and I wouldn't stay here again. As someone who has stayed at Marriott Bonvoy hotels around the world many times, I can say without hesitation this was the worst so far. The lack of cleanliness was obvious in the lobby, corridors, bathrooms, breakfast room, and especially our room. It made for a very unpleasant holiday and fell well short of the chain's reputation. Although our room was supposedly renovated, it still looked dated, with a dark bathroom and worn furniture. The breakfast room was dark and ugly too. Staff seemed unhappy, and most receptionists never smiled. The breakfast staff seemed to be trying their best, but we don't speak Italian and their English was limited, so it was hard to understand each other and things caught us by surprise.

The outdoor pool looks out over the sea, and there's also a tennis court. The gym is fine for a hotel, with a couple of dumbbells, a multipurpose pulley machine, two treadmills, two bikes, and two ellipticals. Breakfast was good, and the restaurant downstairs served delicious fish and other meals, though the choices were limited. Our room was clean, but the walls were dinged and the balcony was tiny. Most rooms have a sea view, apart from the corner ones, and naturally I got one of those. They cleaned the room daily, which you don't see much anymore in the US. The hotel's right across from the sea with views, about a 20-minute drive from the city center and 30 minutes from the airport.

You may have trouble sleeping here because every hotel door slams really loudly. Adding padding or dampeners wouldn't cost much, but the hotel hasn't made this simple change, which makes it seem like guest experience isn't a priority.