Vatican Tourist Inn

I booked Vatican's roof for March 2-4, 2025, expecting a shared kitchen and terrace. The night before check-in, they said a building plumbing problem meant they couldn’t host me and moved me to another place. It had no kitchen or terrace, was on the first floor, and was in a building half the price of the one I booked. Yet Vatican's roof still showed rooms available on Booking.com, so I couldn’t understand why I was sent to what seemed like the worst and cheapest of their nine properties. After three hours of back and forth with the host, I got a tiny discount. At check-in, a different receptionist still asked for an extra payment. The room was shabby. The coffee machine didn’t work, even after staff replaced it. The hair dryer was filthy and frayed; they cleaned it after I complained but didn’t replace it. The large body towels weren’t changed during my stay, and there wasn’t enough shampoo, soap, or toilet paper. I won’t get into the shampoo quality. There was no air freshener, and one showerhead was broken. There was no staff around. When I messaged the receptionist on WhatsApp about the towels, shampoo, and other issues, he said nobody would come because it was a guesthouse, not a hotel, and they didn’t provide “hotel” services. His exact message was: “We're sorry but is not an hotel is a guesthouse if you want more service next time book an hotel 5*”. The conversation was disrespectful and even rude. I was also told that if I didn’t like it, I should “next time to book a hotel 5*”. They describe themselves as a 3* guest house. To me, it wasn’t even one star, more like a punishment place.

**BED BUGS, BEWARE** This was an absolute nightmare. I’d booked a different hotel with much nicer rooms, a better receptionist, and a better location. When I arrived at hotel retalis, they said there were “plumbing issues” and sent me to hotel Vatican tourist, five minutes farther from downtown Rome. Then they asked me to walk to another hotel to pay the $14 city tax. I contacted the host through Booking.com to ask for a refund or to be moved back to the hotel I’d booked. They apologized, waived the $14 tax as if that were a discount, and said there was nothing else they could do. At Vatican Tourist, there was a strong smell, and they said my room wasn’t ready because it hadn’t been cleaned. They let me leave my luggage there. The bed was unmade and torn apart, like someone had been searching through it. I understand now why the previous guest had pulled it apart. Since the switch happened at the last minute, I hadn’t properly checked the hotel beforehand. After the first night, we felt comfortable enough to enjoy our stay. I got a few bites and assumed they might be mosquito bites. But at 3 a.m. after the second night, I woke up itching badly, with over 25 bites across my body, including five on my face. I checked the mattress, found four bed bugs, and left right away. At 5 a.m., I had to find somewhere else to go. I don’t usually write reviews, but this was awful, and it’s a terrible management company to let this happen after so many complaints.

My partner and I had a horrible stay at Vatican Tourist Inn. After the first night, we found bed bugs. My partner had a severe allergic reaction that nearly needed hospital care, and I had some milder bites too. The room was dirty, the bedding was stained, and there was hair in the bathroom. I emailed the property with a detailed complaint, but got no reply for over a week. Once we were home, we had to dry-clean all our clothes because of possible contamination. The reviews make it seem like this has happened there before. The place felt unhygienic and unsafe, and management didn’t respond.

As soon as I checked in, I saw bed bugs and lice in the room, and they bit me badly. I paid a lot expecting comfort and cleanliness, but ended up with relentless itching and bloody bites. The living conditions were disgraceful, and I was extremely disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend staying here if your health and comfort matter to you.