Hotel del Centro

The biggest problem was the room itself. It was dated and uncomfortable, and although it was mostly clean, every mattress spring was visible. They looked like they hadn’t been replaced since the 1970s or 80s. There was black mold in the bathroom too, which is embarrassing. They should replace the old furnishings and linens and clean the bathroom with bleach. I checked, there’s an IKEA in Palermo at Località Roccella, via Pecoraino, Negozio 48, Palermo, where they can get mattresses, sheets and lamps. Conad sells bleach. The layout was a ridiculous inconvenience. Hotel Centro is in an apartment building with two hotels, and there’s no elevator to the internal floors in their part of the building. I expect management to answer this review with sarcasm, based on the other replies I’ve read. They seem defensive whenever guests offer feedback, and that attitude helps explain why the hotel is so bad. They should be mortified by how they present the place, but carry on as if they’re professionals. It’s an embarrassment to Sicily and Palermo that they’re in business.

The location is a plus, and the hotel itself was quiet, with no noise from other rooms. But this is definitely not a three-star hotel. The bathroom supplies were just two tiny travel soaps and two small shampoo sachets, one per person, clearly for one use. There was no extra soap for the sink, so we were supposed to wash our face and hands with the same soap we’d used after the toilet. That felt unhygienic and ridiculous. There was no mini fridge or minibar either, which was disappointing. The air conditioner had no remote, so each time we wanted it switched on, off, or set to a different temperature, we had to go down to reception.

We felt safe walking back late after the opera, and the staff were welcoming and helpful throughout. The room was clean, tidy, and had plenty of storage. Fresh towels every day were a nice touch. Breakfast offered lots of variety, and the coffee was made fresh. Reception has to turn on the air conditioning when you ask, but that wasn’t a problem for us. It’s a great base for exploring Palermo and the surrounding area. We’ve just got home and would happily stay here again.

It’s close to all the places you’d want to see. The room was okay, though the broken toilet seat was annoying. The air conditioning is a pain since it’s controlled at the front desk downstairs, so you have to go tell them. Still, it was okay overall.