Hotel Villa Traiano

From the beginning, our stay went badly and just got worse. The listing said free parking, but that wasn't the case. If you manage to find a spot on the street, you still have to haul your luggage 2-3 km to the hotel. Otherwise, garage parking costs another €18 on top of the €250 room price. Outrageous. Breakfast was a ridiculous spread of bread, cornflakes, and a small empty plate for cold cuts. The dining room was filthy when we arrived, and the server pointed us to a dirty table with previous diners' used plates and garbage still there. We were told to use two "unused" place mats among the mess. Nobody offered to clean it up. We cleaned the table ourselves, then moved the clean place setting to a newly cleaned table. Unbelievable for a hotel billing itself as 5-star. The room wasn't awful, but even at the height of the season it wasn't worth more than €100 on a good day. The air conditioner didn't work, so we left the door open for fresh air. The bathroom was somewhat dirty and clearly old. The sink drained slowly enough that the basin filled while we were still washing. The location was average, with a few stores nearby. To me, this is a 2-3 star hotel with 5-star prices. People who gave it 5 stars clearly don't travel much and haven't stayed at a 5-star hotel. I'd avoid it.

The rooftop terrace is a lovely place to unwind, with panoramic views over Benevento's landscape and some of its ancient architecture. Villa Traiano sits right beside the stunning Arch of Trajan, in a perfect location. The hotel pairs historic charm with modern comfort, and has nice rooms and good service for a great value.

I've stayed here before when everything was going smoothly, and it's a great hotel for holidays or business, with a perfect base for exploring Benevento. This time my wife broke her foot on our first evening. The staff, from the manager down, were friendly, understanding, and brilliant throughout the week. They arranged for a doctor to examine her in our room and helped us as she dealt with being incapacitated. For me, a hotel's real quality shows in how it responds when things go wrong, and they made our stay as comfortable as possible despite everything. My wife and I can't thank you all enough. A very big thank you.

The rooms were okay, though a little dated, and there wasn't a coffee machine in the room. I couldn't figure out the minibar: no price list, but also nothing saying it was included. Breakfast was the biggest letdown, just continental, served in what seems to be a banquet room, with hardly any atmosphere. It's a decent but uninspiring stay for the price of a four-star hotel. Better service and a small upgrade could make it a really good experience.