Hotiday Palermo Palco Noir

Four months after booking directly through Hotiday, they cancelled my reservation on the day I was due to check in, saying there were bathroom problems. They offered either a refund or a much lower-standard alternative hotel. Booking.com showed rooms were still available, but I think they chose not to give me one because prices had gone up. I had to get my money back and find somewhere else at the last minute. It cost a lot more and was far from the city centre. The customer service was awful, and the whole thing was stressful.

Renovated, new rooms, a great location, and lovely staff. Really good value for money, I'd absolutely recommend staying here.

The rooms are genuinely lovely, but our arrival was a mess. We stood outside for 50 minutes, repeatedly calling Hotiday and Booking.com customer service without getting help. We only got into the building because other guests helped us. That's not the welcome you hope for on holiday. When we finally reached reception, the staff were dismissive. They blamed us for the communication breakdown instead of acknowledging it, then tried to charge a late arrival fee, even though we'd been locked out for nearly an hour. Booking through a third-party site can create logistical problems, but guests shouldn't have to sort them out at the door. A clear message about how to get in ahead of time would have helped. Spending the first hour of a vacation troubleshooting hotel admin is the last thing I want.

There wasn't even a name on the doorbell when we arrived at the property. We'd booked and paid in advance by credit card, but after countless unanswered calls, an hour and a half waiting downstairs, and lots of messages through Booking.com chat, we still got no response. We spent the evening wandering the city with our bags and nowhere to stay, while the property already had our money. Thankfully, Booking.com support kept trying to reach the property for four hours. They eventually refunded us and added another €20 to our Booking.com wallet. Truly awful service. Don't trust them.