Let's see, where do I even begin? Chronologically, I guess.
Check-in:
We booked this hotel--for our 3-year anniversary, no less--through HotelTonight. Upon arrival after a long drive from Modena and stressful drive through Rome, we were rudely told they could not find our reservation and that the hotel was full. We were able to get it sorted out through the lovely service of HotelTonight. It was not The Duke Hotel's fault but the front desk man was still rather rude and unapologetic--so much for hospitality. Also, if the hotel was full, how did we suddenly get a room? Hmmm....
Room:
The A/C was broken and only after multiple calls to the front desk, did maintenance finally come up to "fix it." He even patronizingly said not to touch it afterwards, as though we broke it!! Oh, and by "fix it," I meant the fan started working but by no means did cool air come out of that vent--ugh. By the time we realized it was not getting cooler, it was close to midnight and we were too tired to lug all our suitcases back down and find a new hotel. Did I mention how stressful it is driving through Rome?? Is that what the man meant when he said the hotel was fully booked? All the fully operational rooms were booked?! Ugh...would've much rather gotten our refund and found a hotel earlier in the night if so.
Shower:
Rusty drain. Moldy corner. I wish I had taken a photo. The worst part though? Rather than have the shower head aim the length of the tub, as all normal ones do, this one aimed down the width of the tub, causing the shower curtain to billow and spraying water all over the bathroom floor. Fuhhhhhh!
Breakfast:
New morning, new staff, new service, right? Nope. Breakfast was supposedly 7a-11a, but upon arrival the first morning at 10:30a, we were the only ones there, given no welcome, and given death stares from the staff, who cleared things away AS WE WERE EATING. They certainly did not take our coffee order either (the sign clearly stated that cappuccinos and espressos were part of the breakfast buffet).
2nd/final morning, we arrived earlier, around 9:30, as we were itching to get out of the shitty hotel. There were other patrons there, however, still no "Prego" or "Buongiorno" from the staff, and certainly no taking of our coffee orders either, though I waited patiently and watched as they took orders from 2 other tables. Are they racist or something??????
Note that our stay in Rome was part of a larger European vacation and it was not our first city in Italy, so we had other (much better) experiences to compare to. Suffice to say, I would never come back to The Duke Hotel nor recommend it to anyone I know. read more