Firenze Rooms Cathedral

We were told to sleep on the street with our three children under five after the owner had overbooked and refused to provide the three rooms we'd paid for and had confirmed. We were given smaller rooms and denied the difference back. We hadn't asked for anything extra, only the rooms promised. I have written records, screenshots and videos of these problems, and we've reported the business to the AGCM and the police. We believe it should be investigated and shouldn't be operating in this condition. The rooms were dirty and unsafe. There was black mould in all of them, air conditioning that didn't work, and one door wouldn't close properly. The bathroom had several slippery steps, a toilet wouldn't flush fully, and a leaking heater flooded our room and ruined personal belongings, including a pair of shoes. It was also extremely noisy. Full guest names were left on a bench where anyone could see them, and there were no proper locks or security, so people could enter rooms and find out guests' names. The photos didn't match what we found. We contacted the owner during the night as these issues came up, but he disregarded them. He wouldn't answer the phone and insisted we text. After we kept asking to speak to someone in person, Alberto said the receptionist would deal with it in the morning. When she arrived, she knew nothing about the situation and didn't want to help. After more than an hour of back and forth, she called the owner, and Alberto still refused to do anything. He eventually promised to refund 165 euros for the room difference and the damage to our belongings. He sent a remittance and said the money would arrive within one business day, but three business days had passed without it. We were also told he had lied about being able to drive through the ZTL zone. We made reports to the Italian Antitrust Authority over the health and safety issues, and to the police. The owner, Alberto, and the one staff member refused to help sort things out. This was a deeply stressful stay, and I wouldn't want another family to go through the same thing.

The Duomo is just a block away, which is the hotel's one real advantage. We only used the room to sleep since there was so much to see and eat during our Italy trip. Just another part of the adventure.

Being close to everything was the one real plus. My room looked quite different from the photo and felt very old, and you have to use the stairs since there isn't an elevator. In summer, the air conditioning is a problem: it didn't work, and even after I asked, they said it was fine and didn't fix it.

The location was great, but several things we were told weren't true. There was no parking at all, despite the free parking claim, and breakfast wasn't included either. During the day they came in, turned off the air conditioning, and left without changing towels or making the beds.