Hotel Smy Aran Blu Roma Mare

I booked a room and was stuck with the charge when I couldn't stay. I asked the hotel for a partial refund, but they refused, so I ended up paying about $840.00 for a room I had already decided to leave. There's no cancellation policy once you've booked. The furniture was in dreadful condition, with peeling paint and noticeable rust, including around the mirror. It looked nothing like the clean, well-kept rooms shown on the website. Based on those two major problems, I'd give the hotel zero stars. The polished online appearance doesn't match the experience at all. Save yourself the frustration and stay away.

The front desk was pleasant and competent, and I slept very well. My room was small and dark, but clean and perfectly functional. No AC wasn't an issue on a cooler evening in June. The beach music across the street was quite loud late at night, though it didn't keep me awake. I was glad I hadn't booked a beach view. If you just need somewhere to sleep, it's a great deal. Expect a 2 star place and you'll be happy. Don't expect a resort.

I left after one night of the three I'd planned and went back to Rome because this is NOT a 4 star hotel. The staff refused to refund the two nights I cancelled, and I was leaving anyway because the place just felt gross. The rooms themselves are OK if you get a sea view, but the rest of the area is rundown and sketchy. The hotel is old and dated, the lift and hallways were hot, and there was nothing to do or anywhere to eat. The trees, plants, and grass were all dead. It looked like a bad, unsafe place. The buffet breakfast was awful. Runny scrambled eggs, hot dog bites, and warm yogurt turned my stomach. I know Italy has much nicer areas, so do yourself a favor and AVOID Ostia and this area in general. This is not a vacation area. Don't trust the pictures on the hotel's website. There were no bedspreads, I got bug bites straight away, and the little beach was dirty, full of barking dogs, and surrounded by icky scenery. There were no beach chair rentals. When I asked about chartering a boat, the front desk woman said she was from Rome, that the marina boats were just fishing boats, and that she didn't know. Bad customer service, and the receptionist was rude. Do NOT stay here if you don't want gross food and a rundown hotel in a sketchy area.

I booked this hotel today for myself and my pet. After taking my money, they demanded a blood test, deworming medicine given no more than 21 days before arrival, and warned that my room type wasn't guaranteed. Anyone with a cat or dog knows deworming is done according to the medication instructions, monthly or every three months depending on the medicine. Giving it again just to get into this royal hotel WILL overdose your pet. They also think it's normal to take an already travel-stressed pet, in a foreign country, to a vet for a blood test. Nowhere in Rome do they ask for this, and in fact nowhere in Italy, since pets travelling already have a passport or travel certificate. Those documents are obviously for a country's border control, but apparently not enough for this hotel. I sent them all the consumer law articles they've breached and am waiting for my money back. They conveniently make all Booking.com reservations non-refundable, so my holiday has turned into a hot mess dealing with scammers. And on top of that, they might not even give you the room you paid for, according to the same “rules” that don't appear on Booking or their website.