The hotel itself is great. Interior is updated and modern with quality furnishing (opened Oct 2017). It's sleek, bright, spacious, and I think the remodeling is a respectful nod to its former use as the rooms do have an air of austerity to them. As I understand, it's a former convent, and nuns live above the ground floor. Guest rooms are all on the third level (Italian 2nd floor), but the numbering gets a little confusing in the elevator since it seems to follow the American convention while your keycard uses Italian numbering (so 1 is lobby not 0; 3 is rooms though your keycard says 200s).
ACCESS// Walking here from the metro (either Bologna/S.Agnese) is about a 10 minute walk. The neighborhood seems to be where the embassies are. Entrance is via a locked gate. You buzz in every time (no problem since front desk is manned 24 hrs). You're also not allowed to take your keycard with you; you must hand it in every time you go out and ask for it when you return.
STAY// There are only 22 rooms with a max 60 person capacity. So it's a very quiet stay. Although I saw families at breakfast, I never heard anyone when I was inside my room except for the door closing or water running in the room next to mine. Only noise you do hear is from the street, which can be pretty noisy. As for breakfast, I thought it was a decent spread, better than a simple continental as there were cold cuts, cheese, boiled eggs, and fruits in addition to cereal and pastries. In-room, there's a mini fridge but no microwave. Shower drain can also be slow. Because of its design, it's very easy to clog. Though they were quick to fix it when we told them we had a problem with ours.
All the reviews I read online said staff were really friendly. We didn't get this treatment. We also don't look European. However, after daily greetings, front staff did go from being just polite to being friendly. The only one this didn't apply to was the head housekeeper, who always just stared at us in a disapproving way every time we walked by. No amount of buongiornos changed that. But I noticed she gave Italian tourists the same disapproving suspicious stare, so at least she was consistent.
Another thing to note is that towels are changed only every 3 days, more frequently it's extra. However, rooms are still tidied every day so your bed will be made every time you come back and floors cleaned.
I got way better value than I expected here, but I would hesitate to come back. For the same reasons that make this place a great stay, it can also make it a bit uncomfortable if you're sensitive to scrutiny. read more
