Samantha Heath
Google
I stayed at this hostel in Rome recently with a group of friends, and while the staff was friendly and the location convenient, we ran into several serious issues that made our stay uncomfortable and concerning.
First, the air conditioning went out twice during our stay. On the first day, it shut off around 4 PM. We were told it would be fixed in 30 minutes, but when we returned at 2 AM, it was still off. It finally came back on around 3 AM. Then, on our last day, the AC went out again while we were out to lunch. Although we were checking out, new guests were unable to check in because of it they were just sitting in the lobby waiting. A neighboring business told us that AC problems happen there often, so it seems to be a recurring issue.
On top of that, there are some questionable policies. You either have to leave your ID at the front desk for the entire stay or pay €5 to keep your room key. (we just arrived in the country, why would we have 5€ on us? Leaving an ID for three days felt uncomfortable and potentially not even legal depending on the country’s regulations. You also have to pay for a towel, which would’ve been fine if we had known in advance.
The most concerning part of our stay was the day we returned to our private room and found the AC turned off and the window wide open. We had left personal items out, including our passports, assuming no one else would access the room since only we had keys. When we asked the front desk, they said they had come in to “clean.” But our room wasn’t cleaned at all the trash was still there, nothing had been touched. When we pointed that out, they said they just “take out the trash,” but clearly that didn’t happen either. We were very uncomfortable with the fact that someone entered our private space without doing anything and without notifying us. After that, we requested that no one enter our room again.
Overall, while the staff was nice and tried to be helpful, the recurring AC issues, strange policies around keys and towels, and lack of respect for guest privacy were disappointing and at times, concerning. I would recommend checking recent reviews before booking especially if you’re staying in the summer or value personal security and consistent amenities.