Cialdini Rome

On our last night, we got back to the room around midnight and started to shower, but the power went out across the whole room. I was standing in the dark shower. It stayed off for about ten minutes, and when we checked the office, that had no power either. We waited around half an hour before it came back, then it lasted maybe a minute and went out again. We shouted “WHY.GOD.WHY” and laughed for a couple of minutes. About half an hour later, a man knocked. We didn’t know him, and he didn’t introduce himself or explain why he was there. He said he’d heard us shouting, that other residents who paid for their rooms wanted to sleep, and that if we were educated we wouldn’t act that way. He looked at the AC controller, then we argued. He didn’t seem to understand that we needed electricity to charge our phones. He kept calling us uneducated and loud, wouldn’t listen to how tired and frustrated we were, and was super rude. We really weren’t being loud. He told us to leave and find somewhere else if we didn’t like it. We’ve stayed in hotels, hostels, youth hostels, motels, and Airbnbs around the world, but I’ve never seen paying customers treated like that. He didn’t care about the power problem. At the end, he asked where we were from. We said “Hungary,” and he waved and left. As soon as I shut the door, the power went out again, and this time it wasn’t an accident. We waited, then looked into the office and saw the light was on. The switchboard had cut power to our room. He had deliberately switched it off after leaving our door. It was the most pathetic, childish thing I’ve ever experienced, a grown man cutting our power because we’d been loud for two minutes. Maybe he thought he was teaching us a lesson, I don’t know. It was an awful move. Then the whole apartment lost power again, and he didn’t come back. Our phones were dead. The next morning, a woman knocked and said she didn’t understand why the power had gone out. I asked who the man had been and told her what he’d done. She said he was her husband and that our neighbors had called him because there was no electricity. She acted as if she hadn’t heard what I said and kept repeating that she didn’t know why the power went out. So nobody had complained about us being loud. They were awake because there was no electricity too, and probably needed it themselves. She didn’t apologize for the trouble or seem to care that her husband had been rude, especially about him deliberately cutting the power. There was electricity throughout the stairwell; only this apartment was affected. The system couldn’t handle three rooms. The shower was also extremely moldy, and it looked like no one had tried to clean it. The boiler was too small to provide enough hot water for three people to take two-minute showers, even though the room was for three. The last person always had a cold shower. We got three simple, single-use toiletries for three people and three nights. Luckily, we’d brought our own shower gel and shampoo, or we would have had to buy those too, along with toilet paper. Just don’t go there. I know it’s cheap, but it isn’t worth it. I’ve never experienced such rude, aggressive behavior toward anyone, especially from someone dealing with customers. I think toilet paper and electricity are the bare minimum when you stay somewhere. We didn’t want to complain about anything, and the late-night argument over the power had nothing to do with the price. This still isn’t acceptable, even for a cheap place.

The location is excellent, and Rome Termini is only a three-minute walk away, but the area doesn’t feel very safe at night. It’s surprisingly hard to find the entrance since there’s no sign outside. You have to rely on Google Maps, and locals won’t be able to help unless they happen to know the place for their own reasons. Reception isn’t open 24/7, so if you need help you have to call a private number posted on the room wall, which doesn’t feel professional. When someone from staff is there, they’re kind. Prices are affordable, the rooms are clean, and they serve breakfast at around 8 am. They knock on your door with a cappuccino, orange juice, and a cornetto, rather than having a breakfast room. Don’t expect a continental spread. When you book, mention when you’ll arrive. I also noticed some of the uploaded photos: that view isn’t what you’ll see from your room. That’s a scam.

This felt more like a short-term rental, with just a few rooms on each floor, not a proper hotel. We didn’t realize that when we booked. The owner was rude during the booking process, and the customer service was poor. When we arrived, we couldn’t get hold of staff to come down and open the door, so we had to ask the Chinese shop downstairs for help. The person who answered the call was rude and no help at all. Reply to the owner: Hahahaha, who asked for a refund? I never did. Go read my original review carefully! The reply itself shows how lousy the customer service is. It sounds defensive and patronizing. Hahahahaha.

It was hard to find the entrance, and the room had several issues. The air conditioning didn’t work, and a faulty key lock left us stuck inside for two hours. I wasn’t satisfied at all.