Sara L.
Yelp
My husband and I were really looking forward to our stay at the Belmond Splendido Mare in Portofino, Italy at the end of June. When we arrived in Portofino we were thrilled by the village itself, a picturesque harbor, gorgeous views, and appealing shops and restaurants. We were checked in and escorted to our room. I immediately noticed a strong odor, but wanted to make sure I was not being overly sensitive to the smell before I mentioned something. As soon as my husband and I were alone in the room he mentioned the smell. We could only assume there was a dead animal in the air vent. It is hard for me to make a complaint, I do not want to make anyone feel uncomfortable but, after settling in, the smell only became more intense and we knew we had to say something. My husband called the front desk and we were told when we left for dinner they would check the room but that they would not be able to move us until the next day if there was no resolution to the cause of the odor. Once we returned from dinner the front desk staff assured us the issue had been addressed. Unfortunately, as is typical with smells that strong, there was still an intense odor lingering in the air. We opted to open the windows and hoped that airing out the room would mean it would be gone the next day. I would say that the room really never smelled fresh throughout the entire stay but worse than the lingering smell was that there was not much of an apology regarding the issue. Other than the smell, I should be clear that the room itself was beautiful, as were the grounds for the Belmond Splendido above the village. Sadly that is where the beauty of our stay ended. My rule of thumb and expectations for hospitality is that everyone is treated as a guest of the hotel. I understand that the amenities and access to certain offerings are only available to guests. With that said, there is a polite way to ensure that that is the case. At the Belmond however, it is clear that the assumption was that we were not guests. When I asked for clarity regarding the lunch by the pool, instead of sharing the details and then politely informing me that the lunch is available for guests only or gently confirming that I was, in fact, a guest, the woman at the front desk started the conversation with a harsh and judgmental "It is for guests only." That attitude continued in every exchange we had with staff when accessing amenities or utilizing the facilities. I felt like it would have allowed for my husband and I to enjoy more relaxation if they would have given us a wristband like they do at Disney World to avoid the third degree from staff. A wristband would have been on the same level of elegance as the constant badgering. Outside of the grounds and the room I'd also like to comment that the hotel does not have the polish of other five star properties. The pool cushions were dated and the decorative cushions around the property and on the dining chairs were not as clean as I would have expected. I did update the agent that we booked our travel with about the issues that we had run into. The agent reached out to the hotel on our behalf in hopes of improving the quality of our stay. The General Manager did reach out to inquire about any issues we were having. Maybe wrongly on my part I did not dive into the list of complaints. Let me explain that not doing so was prompted by the approach the General Manager took with me during the inquiry. I can assure you he did not seem open to hearing about the behavior that was so off putting and sounded extremely bothered to have made the call. Every time we came back to the hotel the front desk would say that the General Manager wanted to speak to us to make sure we were enjoying our stay. It honestly felt like we were "getting in trouble" and being summoned for the remainder of the trip. As you can imagine that was not enjoyable. The last thing I will mention about our stay is in regards to the inconsistency with the hotel policies. The second evening we stayed at the hotel we requested an iron and ironing board. The staff promptly brought us both. On the last day of our stay we were informed that it is not only against hotel policy but also against Italian law to allow guests an iron and ironing board. I am not nearly as appalled by the ridiculous policy as I was by the lack of consistency. I know many five star properties instead offer pressing guests clothes for a surcharge. But to not have that policy on the second day and then implement it on day four (and I could be reading more into this than is the case, but after we have had issues with our stay) was laughable. I had two dear friends that are well traveled inquire about our stay at the Belmond Splendido Mare. I have told them both to look elsewhere for accommodations. It is unfortunate that this property with the price point and reputation of a five star experience did not come close to the stays we have had at any other five star hotels.