Hotel I Portici

The hotel’s location is genuinely good, close to the city center. Our room partly faced the park, which we appreciated—until we discovered that very loud music plays from there every evening until 11 p.m. The bathroom, both in terms of fittings and overall quality, was below standard. Breakfast also failed to meet expectations and certainly did not reach the level one would expect from an Italian breakfast selection. On the first day, the housekeeper decided to take the cash (€10) we had left on the table next to our belongings. We reported this at reception, where we did not even receive an apology. When I asked whether they considered this acceptable, the only response was that they would inform room service—after which our room was no longer cleaned at all.

I just spent one night at this hotel as a solo traveler and what a great surprise. My room and bathroom were spacious, clean, fresh with a nice big window facing the interior side of the building. The room has some compliments such as a bottle of water, tea and coffee. The employees at the reception were great at all times. Their terrace on the 2nd floor is a great option, in addition to everything in the old part of the city (which is within walking distance). The train station is also within walking distance. Breakfast and the setting was another great experience! I’m surprised about some of the negative comments here. Please be advised that this may not be a fully luxurious hotel, but the city of Bologna has more upscale options for you, and of course more expensive. For me was a great price-quality experience…! 😀

The bedrooms were decent, though considering the daily rate, they felt a bit underwhelming. I understand it’s a historic building, but the rooms came across as somewhat cheap. Our room also had an unpleasant odor, and the pillows and linens were not of great quality. On a positive note, the reception area and hall were welcoming and nicely presented. Unfortunately, the dining experience was the biggest disappointment. Both the Osteria and Eden (for lunch) fell far below expectations. The staff seemed inexperienced and unprofessional—mostly very young and clearly not trained for hotel or restaurant service. At the Osteria, service was chaotic: the waiters were confused, forgot orders, and didn’t check on the table. I even had to ask twice for water, and dishes were served 15 minutes apart, meaning half the table ate while the other half waited. Meanwhile, staff and the chef were joking loudly in the kitchen, which gave the whole place the atmosphere of a pub rather than a restaurant. The food itself was unimpressive—my pizza was just acceptable, and the dessert portion was tiny. The outdoor patio seating was pleasant, but overall the dining experience overshadowed any positives. I visit Bologna twice a year, but based on this stay, I’ll likely choose a different hotel in the future.

Visited earlier this year and could not have had a better experience. My reservation was screwed up by a third-party vendor, and the hotel staff patiently and kindly helped me work through it with absolutely zero issues. (This could have been a nightmare, as a visitor from a different country.) Room was beautiful, converted from a former ballroom. The garden terrace pizza restaurant was peaceful, and the food was excellent. Centrally located to train station and city center. Some of city’s best gelato across the street. Would absolutely stay here again.

The hotel was in a good location - very close to the center of the city where all of the action is. The interior of the hotel is super nice, and they have a great breakfast buffet in the morning that is included in the rate. BUT the room was pretty awful. Old, with shoddy A/C, broken TV and the bathroom had a lot of mold spots. I did hear that they have some newly renovated rooms, so maybe you'll luck out! The service was really nice - all of the employees were lovely and very helpful, and there is parking next door which really helped us since we had our rental car. The terrace outside was also very lovely and the had wonderful service there. So, it's fine for a night or two, but not sure I would stay again.

Mixed feelings on my stay. I had booked a 6 day business trip but had to scale it back to 5 days. At check in, I mentioned this and it didn’t seem to be an issue. I checked out at 7.30am and mentioned that I was checking out a day earlier like I informed them during check in, and didn’t get any pushback. A few hours after checkout, I get an email from the hotel stating their rules required me to inform them 48 hours before check in, and as such they were charging me over €400 for the additional night after I had checked out. I understand rules and policies, but would have appreciated them being a bit more upfront about having to charge me the extra night and not being sleazy about it. My room was too hot and after numerous calls to the front desk, I just had to deal with it. The thermostats do not control anything, so keep that in mind if you don't want to be all sweaty.

Very nice hotel in walking distance of the historical center of Bologna. The booking and check in was very smooth and the parking space was very well guarded. The center of town is just a couple of minutes walk away. The staff is super friendly, the rooms are clean and very quiet and everything smells nice.

We booked 2 rooms last minute bc our other hotel was terrible. Michele and Nadia were SO helpful finding us a last minute booking. YES the rooms were small but perfectly appointed, air conditioning worked great. The people there were very nice especially Diana at the breakfast. Location is unbeatable. If you need a larger room I would make sure to specify it. The lobby is peaceful and spacious and breakfast served in a lovely old theatre. I would stay here again for sure.

Stayed at Portici hotel for 1 night and we had terrible experience and hotel staff did not offer any professional or concrete solution Here the facts informed to concierge: - Fairly good location but not the best one in city centre. Very noisy and on street with high traffic. - The room was extremely small (probably 160 sqf), and had an unbearable smell of sewage coming from the bathroom. Even when keeping the door closed, the problem persisted. Concierge staff has been promptly informed but they never came up to check and no solution has been provided. - From 10pm to 2:30am continuous noises came from the upper floor. Trolleys, chairs, metallic noises, footsteps, etc We notified concierge twice at 11:10pm and 12:00am but the problem was not resolved by staff. We were told that there was a restaurant/tavern above the room. Brilliant decision for a location where people are supposed to sleep. - Although we parked the car in hotel parking lot, the car was moved and was parked on the street at 3:40 am. All without asking permission. Very professional and safe decision. To offer fair and complete perspective, we presented verbal and written complaints and, in summary, the hotel response has been "We apologize, you have to pay full price anyhow, we will cover parking costs of 25E and we offer you a one level upgraded room next time you visit again". Have travelled for 40+ years, internationally, and always in 4/5 stars hotels. Never seen such a un-professional management and response. In summary very unpleasant experience, overall hotel quality absolutely not at the level of the 200+ Euro price and very passive/un-professional staff attitude. They advertise themselves as offering "emotions of a unique experience"...undoubtedly very uniquely negative stay indeed....

I loved the modern yet historic feel of this hotel! Fabulous & well lit lobby. The breakfast / dining room is lovely and the food is superb Great little restaurant at the front of the hotel I had an upgraded room that included a balcony facing the park which made me feel super fancy The luxury suite on the top floor is fantastic and includes a sauna/fitness room as well as a roof top patio (although the rooms have angled ceilings so it might be a bit cramped for tall people) The wine room is historic and lovely - a great place for a private dinner. The floor is clear which gives you a view of the wine cellar below - very trippy! Centrally located near the city center; shopping, restaurants & bars nearby · Near public transit & the train station · Easily accessible by car; parking available

Great location in a central part of Bologna (walkable from train station). The hotel looks great from the outside and the lobby is also very nice. Service was quick and efficient to be in Italy. Rooms were disappointing to me. Small rooms that were sparsely decorated. Design is nice but felt very much like a budget hotel. Internet access was free but was not working very well. TV was small but functional (limited number of channels in English). Bed was very narrow and small so was not the best sleep I had. Bathroom was nice and new. Quality of soap and shampoo was not the best but acceptable. No fitness center or such was available in the hotel and in general it is very much just a nice lobby and the rest of the hotel is not very impressive at all. Breakfast was a joke. While it often is bad in Italy this was not only bad but also very expensive. Service was very slow and it was difficult to get the attention of the staff. For the price there must be better options in Bologna (or same quality for less).

I was hesitating between 3 and 4 stars, but what made me decide for 4 is the amazing terrace the hotel has! It is on the 2nd floor of the hotel but you can access the parc behind the hotel directly from it, and it's wonderful! My room looked very nice (Italian shower that feels like rain, very spacious, nice decoration) but it was on the ground floor and overlooked the inner courtyard with the reception desk, so it didn't get a lot of light. The pros: nice design, close to the train station, good service for a conference (I was there for work), amazing bar on the terrace, good breakfast, welcome drink at the bar (a glass of wine); The cons: no carpet anywhere so I was woken up at 4.30 am by someone walking in high heels in the hallways; you have to pay for a lot of things (fresh orange juice in the morning, special coffee, etc); I didn't pay for it myself but I think it was about 120€/night, much cheaper than hotels in Brussels of that quality.

Nice hotel, reasonable rates. Nice employees. Breakfast is just okay , lukewarm eggs, OJ appears to have added sugar, boring cakes and stale croissants. Do not eat at the Hotel Brasserie, it was awful, worse meal of our vacation.

Clean hotel, nice rooms with a view, but there was a lot of construction going on and an outdoor concert going on that we could hear the noise from. We did get a free upgrade offered to us and a voucher for a glass of wine for the both of us which was a nice touch. Was an okay area, a little north of where the restaurants and things were, but still pleasant stay for a decent price.