Venice Station

The residence itself was quite nice once I got inside. The bed was made up well, and the room was tidy, clean, and fairly soundproof. Getting in, though, was a stressful mess, and for me the hassle outweighed the room. I’d said in my Booking.com reservation that I expected to arrive between 7 and 8PM, depending on whether my flight was delayed. It was delayed, and I made it just before the cutoff. There was nobody there. As it got darker, the people on the street made me feel at risk of being mugged. The owners and Booking.com had confirmed in early May that my check-in time was fine, but I was also expected to call the hotel 20 minutes before arriving. It’s surprising they didn’t consider that travelers might not have a data plan or the ability to make calls. The lack of communication, professionalism, and clear information about what to expect was astonishing, even allowing for it being a hostel.

Please don’t risk staying here, especially if you’re a woman or traveling with children. You need reliable internet access to check in, and the Wi-Fi at Venice Airport isn’t dependable. We had booked this accommodation for a late evening arrival in Mestre. Our flight was delayed by about an hour, and we reached the hotel at 12:05pm. They emailed us at 10pm and 11pm, but we were on the plane and couldn’t read or reply. There was no Wi-Fi when we landed. The person sent to check us in had left, even though the property has no proper hotel entrance or accessible check-in desk. A taxi dropped us at midnight outside a random building number on a dark, dodgy street. Men on bikes kept circling and following us. I honestly thought I was going to be mugged. The place had no sign, lights, name on the buzzers, check-in desk, or clear entrance. There was overflowing post, and we felt completely abandoned. We found Wi-Fi at a nearby hotel that was still open and learned our booking had been cancelled without any explanation, though the full payment had been taken. The hotel says they waited until midnight, then left us with nowhere to go because we arrived just after that. They didn’t check whether flights were delayed or consider that travelers may not have constant internet access. This is not a proper hotel. For safety, choose one of the many nearby hotels around the station that has a real entrance, check-in desk, and staff available all the time. Things may go smoothly if nothing unexpected happens, but delays, breakdowns, train problems, or accidents can happen for all sorts of reasons. It isn’t safe to assume you’ll find Wi-Fi in every Italian bar or station, and arriving from abroad may mean you don’t have a local SIM. Don’t count on being able to contact this accommodation or on them waiting for you. Book a place with a staffed check-in desk instead.

We paid about €350 for two honeymoon nights, June 2nd to 4th, but arrived to find no hotel sign, reception, check-in instructions, or anyone answering the door. We'd told them we expected to arrive around 10:30 to 11:30 PM. Our flight from London to Venice was delayed by an hour, so we reached the building around ten minutes after midnight. After walking to a nearby hotel to get online and contact them, we discovered our fully paid booking had been canceled. They said it was because we arrived after midnight, and claimed their front desk had tried to contact us that night, though there was no front desk to call. It's the hotel's job to have someone available to check guests in, and late arrival was foreseeable since we'd already told them we expected to be there around 10-11 PM. Any hotel should be able to check guests in whatever time they arrive, especially when foreign travelers may be delayed. This felt like a scam. Don't book here or waste your money.

The room was really good, just wow. The service was good too.