Grand Hotel Des Ètrangers - The Leading Hotels of the World

We came from Australia to Sicily and chose this hotel for five days, our longest stay on the trip. Room 204 was beside an industrial plant, with a metal walkway just 1.5 meters from the window and workmen passing by. The bins were directly below us, and bottles were regularly emptied into a skip with a huge noise. The staff smoking area was right there too, so we couldn’t open the window. I should have taken our bags back to reception and asked for another room straight away, but we were both tired. The next day, after a run, I asked to move rooms when nobody else was at reception. The employee asked what was wrong; I showed her photos, and she seemed to know Room 204 and immediately looked for another room. She said she’d find one, but we got no text, call, or email. We had to put up with the bottles, smoke, and workmen for the rest of our stay. I don’t know how a hotel advertised as five star can give my wife and me a room that felt less than one star. After I complained, there was no reply or even a courtesy response, just the sense that it was bad luck and they had our money. Sicily depends on tourists. Francesca and Eva do a great job, but whoever owns the place, Saudi or Russian, seems not to care. I hope my Australian agent never sends another Australian here.

The location is great and the front desk service was good, but I expected more from a five-star hotel. Breakfast was below average, with limited choices and poor service, and didn’t feel up to that standard. Our room was too small and smelled like public toilets. We raised it with management and got no response. At checkout, she kindly gave us a 200.00 euro credit for the three days of toilet smell. 😂😂😂

Davide at reception made me feel very welcome. My stay was spectacular from beginning to end.

The location is the real highlight: right in the heart of Ortigia, with the Duomo, the castle, and the beaches all a few minutes’ walk away. Service is great, the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, breakfast is very good, and the rooms are clean, carpet-free, and have well-maintained bathrooms. It’s still a great hotel, but I’d like to see more thought given to everyday practicality. The rooms are spacious, yet a larger desk and a comfortable work chair would be more useful than so much marble and tapestry. My desk was tiny, and there wasn’t room near the outlets to charge my laptop while using it. The room also had items like wine and pistachio paste displayed for sale. At a high-end hotel, that made the room feel like a mini boutique and cheapened the experience. Those items could be complimentary given the room rate, or simply not sold in the room.