Hotel Plaza Torino

We chose a standard room, which was a good fit for two people. There was enough space for each of us to unpack a large suitcase without feeling cramped. A few things to know: there are five or six steps up to the lobby, and the shower door could use some attention, though it didn't leave the bathroom floor wet. Breakfast was okay, with two or three types of bread, two cheeses including a traditional Piemontese one, three kinds of ham, yogurt, granola, cereal, a coffee and tea machine, and a selection of sweets. No fresh vegetables, but there was a fruit basket. The hotel is right by Dante metro station, three stops from Porta Nuova. Service was good, and whoever was at the counter always greeted us and was helpful.

The hotel is very close to the M1 metro line, and when we raised our issues, staff tried to accommodate us as much as they could. The place itself is poorly designed, though, and at 90 euros per night it wasn't worth what we paid, even if Turin's options are sadly limited. We were first put in a horribly outdated room; only after we pushed back did we get a sufficient one, and they wouldn't admit they'd tried to offload one of their worst rooms. We also lost power three times over two days, and one outage knocked out WiFi for half the day. Most concerning, there were no deadbolts or physical locks on the doors, so we worried the staff might come in by accident or on purpose.

The staff were pleasant, gave good local restaurant tips, and most sights were walkable. We found the hotel easily by car, and parking felt very safe, although the ramp was challenging to drive in and out of. Our room was roomy and clean, but quite dark, looking onto what I think was a central courtyard where we couldn't really see outside. Breakfast was good on the one day we had it. The lifts were a pain: one was out of order and housekeeping used the other, so guests couldn't get in when they had a trolley inside. It was fine most of the time, but being on the third floor, we had to wait with our bags when arriving and leaving.

Everything else was great, and it felt more like a four-star hotel than a three-star one. The room had a nice bathtub, though I couldn't work out how to switch on the jacuzzi hydro jets. There was no wall mount for the showerhead either, so I had to hold it myself, which made washing my hair harder.