Ergife Palace Hotel

For the price, the hotel is good value. The lobby and atrium bar are pleasant, the staff at reception were friendly, and the bar and gift shop were nice. The gym had good amenities, though I missed having a rowing machine. But the room feels stuck in 2010, maybe earlier, and needs attention, especially room 2426. Ergife, please sort out the rooms. There was no AC despite the hot weather, and the pool shown in the photos had been drained. The carpet in my room was muddy, dusty, and badly worn, with peeling wallpaper too. The bathroom had black mould in the bathtub, and the lightbulb flickered. I thought hotels were supposed to check rooms after guests leave. The keycards demagnetized easily, and you needed to insert one into a holder to get electricity. No coffee machine was provided, so you have to pay for coffee, and it wasn't clear where the minibar was. It only had water anyway. The fourth-floor vending machine wouldn't take cards, coins, or notes. The hotel has plenty going for it, but these details let it down.

My impression is that in Italy they don't care much what tourists think, whether about the food, service, wine, setting, or atmosphere, or the lack of it. They seem to just put up with your presence and your euros. There's a striking sense of superiority, and they can make you feel like a lesser species. Don't count on a smile, more likely you'll get a lecture. They also switch hotel air conditioning on and off as they please, and may add a gratuity whether or not you think it's deserved. I can sum up Italy in one sentence: they've never heard of Google reviews, or reviews at all.

Breakfast could use work. The choices were limited, and a few dishes came out inconsistently, some overcooked and others undercooked. The rooms are also quite tight, so there isn't much room to open a large suitcase on the floor. Stains are visible on the carpets in the rooms and corridors. The hotel seems to have offered a more premium stay in the past, but it now feels more like a 2-star place than a 4-star one. Complimentary water, dental kits, and slippers would make guests more comfortable. Fixing these details could help it recover its old charm and live up to its rating.

The breakfast was okay, with lots of bread, though there were no salads. The hotel itself is big and has many rooms, but mine was cramped apart from the balcony, with nowhere to put my luggage. There was no kettle for hot water, and this was the first hotel I've stayed at without a refrigerator. The sheets looked as if they hadn't been washed in a long time, there were no spare pillows, and I was shocked to find bugs on the bed. I had to move the bed just to reach an outlet for my 120V charger. This was the worst hotel I've stayed in lately. If someone asked me about it, I'd say upgrade your room or don't go.