Hotel Dolce Villa

My friend lived here for a few months and kept talking about how much he liked the cleaning service. I visited several times. The people who lived there seemed happy with the place, though the decor felt a little tacky to me and the hallways were kind of creepy. The front desk also seemed to be unattended a lot. My friend had a balcony suite, so he could just toss his keys down to me outside. The one time I did speak with someone at the desk, I asked about the rates and was basically told I couldn't stay there, with no further information. lol

We spent four months in an extended-stay apartment while looking for a house in Rhode Island, and most of it was great. The weekly cleaning was fantastic, and the women who came by were so kind to us, especially our boys. Paul, the maintenance man, was top-notch and always showed up when something needed fixing. Xiony, the hotel manager, was warm and kind, too. Our problem was one front office employee who was rude and unprofessional. He repeatedly treated me like I didn't matter. The latest issue was our deposit refund, which still hadn't arrived after nearly two weeks. Our son's fourth birthday party is Sunday, followed by our daughter's birth on Tuesday, so we need that money. My wife called this morning to ask about it and said he was rude and condescending. When I called, I heard the same condescending sigh, then he said he couldn't help and told me to call back tomorrow. I explained why I needed an answer that day and asked for his boss's contact number. He refused, repeated that I should call tomorrow, then hung up on me while I was asking again. It's not only about getting the deposit back quickly, though that would ease our minds. It's also about being treated with respect, and I don't think this employee understands that. Still, for a night or a few months, I'd give the place a chance. One bad employee shouldn't erase all the good ones.

The easiest part of our stay was checking out. From the start, getting into the hotel was a hassle because there’s no direct access to the entrance. We had to haul our luggage through a packed pedestrian square and up stairs in heat close to 40 Celsius. Inside, the halls and room smelled of air freshener or bleach. The room was small and basic, with no curtains, so artificial light from the square came in at night. The shower curtain fell down, and after a day out we returned to a clogged toilet. We don't know how the cleaner missed that. Staff were absent, unhelpful, or unresponsive. A terrible experience from beginning to end.

We booked The Hotel Dolce Villa at the last minute, and it turned out to be a great impulse decision. In our "1 Bedroom Private Studio W/ Micro Kitchen," everything was spotless and the cooking basics were all there. The bed was comfortable for a good night's sleep. We didn't have a view, but we could hear the steady rhythm of Latin & Italian music. The decor is a lovely nod to the iconic, legendary beauty Sophia Loren. The host greeted us warmly, was flexible and informative, and quickly handled our requests. The hotel is right in the heart of the popular Federal Hill(Little Italy) area, and the rates were affordable. We'd book The Hotel Dolce Villa again for the location, clean accommodations, and amazing service.