Four Points Flex by Sheraton Parma

The room was clean, and the front desk staff were friendly enough. This might work for a business meeting, but that’s about it. The Expedia listing and reviews are usually spot on, but this place is in no way a four-star hotel. It listed indoor and outdoor pools, but when we asked, we were told there was a community pool nearby. The restaurant is only open Monday through Thursday, unlike the hours posted online, so we had to find food elsewhere. The hotel isn’t within safe walking distance of other places at night. The so-called modern rooms badly need updating. I understand hotels are still recovering from Covid closures, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of attention to detail. There were marks on the walls, curtains, and furniture. One bed leg was broken, the mattress was hard and I could feel the springs, and there was no mattress cover. The pillows were hard; towels had stains or holes. There was nothing in the room explaining services or who to call, and the shower doors didn’t close fully. Breakfast was included, but nothing special. Each morning the buffet was bare, a letdown given the reviews. In Parma, I’d hoped for local food, but there was nothing fresh or non-confectionery. We had to ask every morning for the ham and cheese to be refilled, even at 9. The kitchen and air vents were incredibly loud, right outside our window.

The breakfast was decent, though not what I’d expect from a four-star hotel. The room was another matter: old and smelling like a basement. The bed was hard, with springs you could feel, and there was only a duvet cover, no duvet, so we froze all night. I was hoping for a hot shower in the morning, but the shower had hair in it and the water kept turning cold even with the thermostat set as high as it would go. I definitely didn’t find the four stars here.

The bathroom sink stopper wouldn’t work, and there wasn’t enough soap or cream. The room walls were filthy, with stains everywhere. I tried to show one example in the photo. Breakfast was terrible too: bad coffee, little choice of fruit or vegetables, only one kind of cheese, and no option to order anything hot, like eggs. This place is completely overrated and can’t be a four-star hotel.

I’ve slept in hostels and on airport floors plenty of times, but this place is at best one star. How can they call it four? The room wasn’t dirty, but everything felt so cheaply and temporarily made, worse than a dorm and way worse than a Motel 6.