Grand Hotel Palazzo - Livorno — Hotel in Livorno

I wanted to spoil myself for by booking a room at the Grand Hotel for two days as part of a longer trip, but I was left disappointed with the structure and service. Below are details of my trip: Prior to my arrival, I tried to contact the hotel via mail and telephone to book a parking. I never received a response and was unable to reach them by telephone. When I arrived, the reception was busy with four receptionists, however not one of them managed to greet me properly. It seemed as if they felt rather annoyed by having to deal with a new guest. Eventually I was checked-in and could also book a parking on-site. The room itself seemed nice at a first glance, even though some bits were worn down (small cracks in furniture, lampshade distorted, dark scratches and marks on the wall, probably from other furniture).

The bathroom was cleaned poorly, there were even some hairs remaining from the previous guest. The bath tub knob used to move the draining lid up and down was unscrewed and just lay in the tub loosely. I ended up screwing it back on myself, as I wanted to take a bath. Aside from that taking a while and not contributing to a holiday feeling, once you're in the tub, you get the following view: The foliation of the heater peeling off and being covered in rust underneath.

The shower floor was covered in a high plastic-inlay that looked as if it came out of a cheap 60's public bathing beach. The shower head was covered in limescale, clogging it partially. In the opening around the plastic-inlay you could see dirt/mold build-up creeping up from underneath (I don't even want to imagine what it looked like, had you actually lifted it). In the shower corners and on the emergency cord there was also dirt/mold build-up. I felt very uncomfortable and this is far from a standard I would expect from a 5-star hotel. The room also lacked the usual amenities such as a toothbrush and tooth paste, a sewing kit, a pen, an iron etc. There was only soap, a shower cap and shower gel.

I got a massage at the hotel spa which was nice overall, however for me personally it lacked intensity. The tea I was handed after the massage tasted cheap and not great. Also it would be nicer to not just receive a plastic cup with the tea bag still inside, but to actually let it sit for the brewing time and then remove the bag, before handing it to the guest. Spa staff was friendly and helpful.

Breakfast was tasty and the buffet generous. The restaurant Mescagni on the top floor is excellent, staff is very welcoming, food and beverages are of great quality. The lady who welcomed guests at dinner and breakfast was very nice. The overall hotel structure is nice, but its past grandeur has faded.

As some might wonder why I didn't complain about the room right away: My stay was short and it took me a day to realize all the things mentioned, because I didn't do a "full inspection" upon arrival, being tired and just wanting to relax. It would have been extra stressful to complain to staff, ask for another room, move all my stuff for just one more night. I didn't want to waste my holiday time with that.

I had really been looking forward to this trip, but wouldn't go back to the Grand Hotel Palazzo. It does not live up to the standard of a 5-star hotel, neither in service nor in accommodation....

Hello, me and my girlfriend stayed here for 3 days in September 2025 flew out from Dublin to Pisa airport. and I want to start by mentioning the staff. They were just perfect and very nice people. The girls on the front desk Martha and Aleesha (Martha has some bad unwarranted reviews on TripAdvisor) were extremely polite and always smiling. in my opinion some of the bad reviews are from people with airs and graces about themselves. All the staff at this hotel are amazing and I must mention Andrea who greets you at the door and recommends restaurants in the area he is very knowledgeable and kind. ||the hotel is located on the seafront with amazing views (the sea has many cargo ships and cruise ships which were nice to look at) directly across from the hotel is a beautiful easily walkable promenade which leads down to an aquarium and a bar which has music every night (surfer joes) also the view from the hotels rooftop bar are just beautiful.||Livorno is a beautiful city and has a section known as little Venice where there is loads of canals and boats and an enormous amount of restaurants on the canal where you sit outside to eat(inside dining is also available), it is really romantic and perfect for couples. The food is amazing full of flavours (the pasta is al dente)||When in Livorno you must go to visit the leaning tower of Pisa, to get a taxi it will cost about €70 but what we done and it is simple so don't panic is get a taxi for about €15 euro to Livorno centrale train station and then get the train for two people for €5 to Pisa centrale train station (takes about 15 mins) and then another r taxi from there to the leaning tower of Pisa for about €13. taxi are directly outside each train station when arriving at Pisa and returning to Livorno. also a little tip is to download app taxi this is the ap to use for taxis in Pisa and Livorno and you can see the taxi on a map its easy to use and so handy. the leaning tower of Pisa is amazing and its surroundings are lined with bars, restaurants and market stalls in a picturesque setting.||Just to go back to the hotel, I would recommend this hotel as a good base for anyone looking to travel to Italy for a short break. one thing to mention is to go to the centre of Livorno (piazza Grande) is about €15 in a taxi or you can walk it in about 30 mins but it was 30 degrees Celsius when we there so we just got taxis. little Venice is about 5 min walk from piazza Grande and piazza Grande is the centre of town.||the hotel itself is magnificent in appearance and the rooms are lovely i asked and paid for a sea view room with a balcony and I would recommend the same for anyone visiting here. the hotel is really Grand when you see it at first sight. there is plenty of restaurants within walking distance from the hotel and plenty to do in its vicinity.||There is a hop on hop off bus which I didn't se till our last day but would recommend to do anyway as its a good way to see a city. all in all a great hotel with lovely staff and a good location. I would recommend this to all couples especially Irish couples as a destination to visit.||Grand Hotel Palazzo thank you for a memorable stay at you fine and amazing hotel. thanks to the staff for being so nice and polite and looking after us...

Location: An ideal location right at the sea front. |20-30-minute journey to the train station- which is directly accessible by bus- with the stop right next to the hotel.|Nice tourist attractions nearby including a great aquarium and local markets.||Rooms: We had two rooms & 3 people in our party||1st room: We were given a disabled room despite none in our party having a disability.|The bathroom gave off a semi-putrid smell, but it was not so strong to reach the bedroom itself.|When we mentioned this to the reception they only suggested an aerosol spray.|Clearly however there was something wrong with the plumbing and/or a structural issue.|No room swap was suggested or offered.||2nd room: Great room for one. However, I would suggest including more wardrobes, as they may not be enough space for a couple’s clothes.|Could also do with a couple more sockets & USB connective sockets|These suggestions should be standard for a modern 5-star hotel ||Hotel staff:|Breakfast Restaurant: Great, respectful and fully in line with a 5-star experience. |We had an early flight and they were kind enough to offer us an early breakfast before their normal service. This highlights their professionalism & respect.|Front-desk: During the first two days, the staff at the desk were below average and certainly not at a 5-star level: It took an absolute age to check-in with the staff’s manner (although not rude) was not welcoming or warm. Neither did they apologise for the delay.|Also dealt with other standard requests, in a below average manner|However, staff during the last c. 3 days were much better. For example, no charge was levied for one of the bottles drank in the fridge|Food:|Breakfast: Great breakfast in a beautiful room. Catered towards international tourists as well as preserving Italian breakfast culture.|Dinner: The restaurant, I believe is not run by the hotel themselves. The selection is okay but too pricey. There are much better options offered locally.||General, important points to consider: Be EXTREMELY careful with the local busses.|Make sure to buy your bus tickets at the local tobacco shops|Although reception staff tell you to pay on-board this is NOT recommended AT ALL (especially as a tourist with foreign cards).|Whatever you do NOT try buying tickets directly from the bus driver: Most do not speak English and will either not serve you and/or make mistakes|We actually ended up paying a fine totally unnecessarily because of the lack of information we had at the time and the fact that most drivers do not speak English (surprisingly however the people administering fines speak perfect English- What a coincidence!!!)||Overall Thoughts: Not a 5-star experience but the location is great and the rooms are nice and spacious. Provided there are no structural issues, you will most likely enjoy your room.|Some of the reception staff in particular, need to improve their manner and be more helpful to tourists (bus information, local customs, recommendations etc.) |If improvements are made in line with the reviews here, their reputation will be much better align to their 5-star status|FYI: This review had to be put down as a 2 star because of the issue with one...