Imperiale Palace Hotel

This was very expensive, and I barely slept. The hotel runs the old HVAC system centrally, so guests can't set their own room temperature. Everyone gets air conditioning, heat, or just the fan depending on what the hotel chooses. They wouldn't turn on the AC, and I spent three nights sweating.

The rooms were especially spacious for Italy, more like US room sizes, and the staff were very attentive. We often stay at five-star hotels, and this one was on par. Breakfast on the patio overlooking the bay was great, and the lunch patio by the pool and beach club was lovely. Excellent hotel, really deserving of five stars.

The bed made for an uncomfortable night: it was too low, the pillow was flat, and the thin sheets didn't feel high quality. For a place presenting itself as luxury, that fell short of what I expected from a five-star hotel. Room service also closes early instead of being available around the clock like it has been at most other five-star hotels I've stayed in. And in Italy, there was no pizza on the menu because they don't have the right oven. That honestly surprised me. I wouldn't recommend the hotel unless these things improve.

The property itself is lovely and very well located. But despite our attempts to contact the staff through different channels, they wouldn't take our client's last-minute situation into account. We were traveling with a pet, and they told us pets weren't allowed, so we called to explain that we couldn't come and asked for a refund. They refused. Our card on file was marked invalid, yet they said they had not cancelled the reservation, even though the policy said otherwise. After several attempts to speak with management, we were still charged for one night's stay.