Hotel Astoria

After a 22-hour flight, we arrived in Bologna in the middle of the night and found out we had to cross the city just to collect the keys, then travel somewhere else again. We’d booked through Booking.com, and nowhere had it said check-in was at a different location. The hotel had promised us over WhatsApp that we could have a room at the check-in location to rest and move the next day. When we got there, they said our room had been sold. Rather than sort out their mistake, they told us to pay €22 for a taxi across the city at 1:00 AM. We stayed five nights and even extended the booking, but nobody cleaned the room once. At €230 a night, that service is unacceptable. We visit Bologna every year, and this was easily our worst experience. We’ll never come back.

The hotel works well for trips out of Bologna, since it’s close to the main station, and the center is about a kilometer away. Breakfast was very good, the room was practical, and the hotel services were enough for us. The surrounding area was the downside. The nearby restaurants were closed or no longer operating, and the closest shop was 300 meters away by a busy roundabout. The streets felt empty, broken, and neglected, and the neighborhood seemed dead.

The room was in a separate building, not the main hotel, and an unpleasant smell had soaked into everything, even the bed linen. It’s near the station, but the area isn’t great. Someone also tried to get into my room at night. The receptionist was very rude. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.

We had a great stay. The room was clean and comfortable, with just the right amount of storage, and the fridge was handy. Staff were friendly and helpful, and breakfast was fantastic. There are shops, a laundry, and bus stops nearby, and the train station is conveniently close. My only gripe was the bathroom lighting. I wanted better light around the mirror.