Hotel San Felice

I was really happy with my short stay. The woman who made my cappuccino in the morning was phenomenal, and the staff in general were pleasant to deal with, professional, and very helpful. I stayed at another hotel a few days later and wished I'd come back here.

The room was spacious for three beds, with a TV and tables but no mini fridge. The bathroom was roomy, though the layout was strange, and towels, soap, and shampoo were provided. We had to leave the room key at reception whenever we went out. There was tram construction right in front of the hotel. We walked from Bologna train station in about 15 minutes, an easy route. Check-in and check-out were quick. Our booking was already paid, so we only had to pay the tourist tax, which was new to us, as all our hotel prices in Italy exclude the city tax and it has to be paid at the hotel. The staff member was friendly and explained everything clearly. We stayed one night in April 2025 in a triple room for 155 euros. It was a good stay, and we didn't have much to complain about. The hotel looks old, but it wasn't as bad as many reviews made it sound. Breakfast was included in our booking, which surprised us. We went down around 09:20, when it had already finished, but got three sweet croissants, tea, and cereal for the child. Finding a restaurant nearby for dinner was a bit challenging.

The location worked well for getting around Bologna. It's on the west side, close enough to walk to the centre and most places in the inner circle, and you could even walk to Santuario Madonna di San Luca instead of taking a bus to the starting point as you'd need to from most other locations. Staff were very friendly and answered my questions well. Check-in and check-out were quick and easy. The room was clean for its age. A small breakfast was included even though it wasn't advertised, but it was just one croissant, a packaged biscuit, and coffee or tea. For 200 € a night, the value was very poor. Maybe 70 - 100 € would have felt fair, but no more. The room was noisy enough that I could often hear people talking in the hallway and next door, even when they weren't especially loud. In the morning, I was woken by staff preparing breakfast downstairs, despite my room being on the first floor at the end of the hall. The furniture and appliances looked old and some were damaged. The toilet and shower in particular seemed very worn, and the shower had just one old head fixed to the wall. There was no mini fridge. They require you to leave the key at reception each time you go out. That's not a big issue on its own, but gets annoying if you're coming and going a lot. The key is also so massive it wouldn't fit in a pocket. There was a construction site in front of the hotel for the tram network, something to keep in mind until 2026. I was also asked to pay a tourism tax at the end, which hadn't been disclosed to me beforehand. That's not the hotel's fault, but I wish it had been clearer when booking.

Staff were really nice and did their best to sort out problems and make our holiday better. The room stayed very clean throughout our trip, and the location was handy, close to central Bologna, shops, and bus stations. Breakfast was included even though it wasn't advertised. We enjoyed having coffee, tea, croissants, boiled eggs, and a couple of other small treats each morning. That said, the price was very poor value. We don't know why we paid around 200e/night. Somewhere around 50-75e/night would have been more appropriate, and even then I wouldn't rush to book because of the problems. The room was noisy, especially in the morning, because the entrance door was badly sealed and every hallway sound came through. The furniture and appliances looked dated, and some were damaged. There's no mini-fridge, so good luck keeping anything cool. Wi-fi was weak, slow, and unreliable. If you've got mobile data, it's much better. We had an issue with the shower cap, which leaked badly and splashed water everywhere. They replaced it quickly, and the new one worked much better, but it was clearly used and didn't look very clean or in good shape. They also ask you to leave the key at reception each time you leave, which can get annoying if you're in and out a lot. There's a construction site in front of the hotel, not their fault, but worth knowing about until 2026.