Hotel Marco Polo

We’ll definitely come back. The room was quiet and clean, and the staff were so friendly and helpful. The Arena and Castelvecchio are only about a five-minute walk away. Breakfast is served in another building, but that didn’t bother us at all. I really liked this hotel :)

I only noticed the date mistake after the confirmation came through. On 20 January 2025, I’d searched a third-party booking site for Bologna, 20-23 July, and Verona, 23-26 July. After booking Bologna, I completed the Verona reservation without realizing the dates had switched back to 20-23 July. Within three minutes I was on the phone with the third party, and within eight minutes they had contacted Hotel Marco Polo to ask about changing the dates. Over the next few days, I apologized to the hotel for missing the change and offered to pay any processing costs and any difference in the room price for 23-26 July. Valentina at Hotel Marco Polo initially said that, because the reservation was non-refundable, the hotel couldn’t change it. The third party confirmed to me that the hotel could make changes, and I offered to have them explain the process to Valentina. She told me plainly that the hotel wouldn’t modify my booking under any circumstances. I accept that I should have caught the date switch, and that the booking site’s error wasn’t the hotel’s responsibility. But the booking was made six months ahead, and I asked to change it just minutes later. I don’t see how that would have cost the hotel anything, especially since I’d offered to cover extra expenses. It’s hard not to feel this was a punitive money grab by a business that says it’s in hospitality.

The rooms felt modern and were clean, and they were happy to handle extra requests. Breakfast was really good, too. There was a wide selection, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. English was a bit difficult, but breakfast is breakfast, and it was very good. Those double cappuccinos were a lovely way to wake up. The bacon was local and delicious, and the scrambled eggs were smooth and creamy, French style. There was plenty else on the menu too, so guests couldn’t really complain. If they did, well, oh well.

The hotel is quiet and well placed for the arena and plenty of restaurants, and the staff were welcoming. One of the two rooms we rented smelled strongly of cigarette smoke, even though the hotel is supposed to be non-smoking. We asked for another room but were told none was available. While we were at dinner, they ran a machine to get rid of the smell. I didn’t see what they did, but when we got back the smoke smell was gone and the room smelled freshly cleaned. I was happy with that, but my wife has a mild breathing condition and the new smell bothered her, so we slept with the window slightly open. I wish they’d dealt with the smell before we arrived, so the room had more time to air out.