Albergo Al Gobbo

The rooms were spotless, and the toilet and shower were good. It’s not a five-star hotel, but for a budget stay you won’t find better. The hotel is on the corner of a busy square, so there’s some noise, though it didn’t bother me at all. I’d stay again without a second thought. gobbo is the terracotta building on the right.

The room itself was functional and fairly clean, but we discovered bed bugs in the early hours and spent a horrifying night catching them. Reception was grumpy, and they still use the old practice of having guests leave the room key there. They also wanted us to hand over our passports so they could fill in the details, and we insisted on staying until they were finished.

The sheets were clean, though the bathroom was a bit dirty, with some mold on the walls that seemed like the kind that can be dangerous. We also had trouble with the AC every day. We couldn't switch it on ourselves, and whenever we asked the receptionist, he said there was no need and questioned why he should turn it on. He was rude and bad-tempered throughout. Another thing that felt strange to me was having to hand in the room key whenever we went out. With all our belongings in the room, I didn't feel safe doing that, and I'd never encountered this before.

For what we paid, I thought the rooms were perfectly usable, and the location was great. The rooms were clean, with no bed bugs, mold, or bad smells, despite what some other reviews say. Service was good, and the staff were friendly. Nights were quiet apart from the phone at reception, which didn't seem worth complaining about at this price. This is a simple hotel with serviceable rooms, and from my searches it was probably one of the cheapest in Venice, but I wouldn't call it shabby. I assume some of the recent negative reviews may come from people working for, or on behalf of, local businesses competing with Al Gobbo.