1 Star - A Serious Safety Hazard and Extremely Disappointing Management Response
I stayed at Hotel American Dinesen in Venice from June 10-14, 2026. Unfortunately, what should have been a wonderful vacation became a painful and memorable experience.
While in my hotel room, I slipped on a large piece of broken glass that had been left on the floor after housekeeping cleaned the room. I have included a photograph of the piece of glass next to a hotel key card so its size can be clearly seen.(hopefully the photo was able to be downloaded with this review)
The fall caused severe back pain and muscle spasms. I was fortunate that I did not fracture my hip or other bones, but I experienced such significant pain that I spent a day and a half mostly confined to bed in the hotel, unable to experience Venice.
I wrote to the manager/owner a few times resending my correspondence and finally, he answered. This happened twice.
The injury affected the remainder of my vacation. I had planned to spend eight days at Lake Garda, but instead I spent four of those days confined to bed because I was unable to walk or participate in the activities I had planned.
I sought medical treatment and was prescribed a back.pain patch and an anti-inflammatory drug.... I have since provided the hotel owner/manager with two physicians' letters-- from two of my doctors. Both documents say that my injuries from the fall caused substantial loss of mobility and pain. I also sent photographs of the medications prescribed for my treatment and the photograph of the piece of glass to the owner/manager of the Hotel American in Venice.
I requested what I believe is a reasonable resolution: a refund for half of my four-night stay, since I effectively lost much of my vacation because of an injury that occurred in the hotel room. Instead of addressing my request directly, the owner has repeatedly stated that he can do nothing unless his liability insurance company first reimburses him.
Whether or not his insurance company reimburses him or not -- the total lack of customer service and responsiveness clearly describes the type of Hotel this is an especially coming from the owner. I believe a hotel should take responsibility for guest safety and communicate proactively when a guest is injured due to an avoidable housekeeping failure.
My disappointment is not limited to the accident itself. Accidents can happen anywhere. What has been most disappointing has been the lack of meaningful customer service and the unwillingness to resolve the situation fairly despite extensive documentation.
I await this fair resolution. I cannot recommend this hotel to travelers who expect careful housekeeping, guest safety, and responsive customer service.
Lastly, the owner has arranged for the marketing of his hotel to have some standard positive comments from guests that were placed on their website and there is no place on the website for feedback... Doesn't that tell you something!
Sincerely.... read more