Sant'Angelo Luxury Resort — Hotel in Matera

Deceptive Practices and Fraudulent Behavior - Avoid at All Costs**

Our recent stay at Sant’Angelo was an absolute disaster, marred by multiple issues and outright deceitful behavior by the hotel management.

Upon our arrival, we faced several unacceptable discrepancies:

Room Misrepresentation: The room we were initially assigned was far inferior to what we had paid for, completely misrepresenting the photos and description provided at the time of booking. We had to inform the hotel staff this wasn’t what we paid for before being moved.

Incorrect Bed Type: Despite booking a room with a king bed, we were given a room with a different bed type (two single beds pushed together). In addition, the pillows and bed quality were far from the 5-star standard advertised.

Spa Services Unavailability: The spa services were never available during our stay, contradicting the advertised convenience and availability.

Customer Service & Parking Fees: While we were advised about the parking fees, the staff was unhelpful in providing additional options. Other hotels usually inform customers about nearby parking alternatives, making this a clear customer service issue.

The most egregious issue was the fraudulent room upgrade. We were promised an upgrade to a more luxurious room. However, we were told that the room was unavailable due to a malfunctioning air conditioning coil and electricity. We later discovered that another guest was staying in that very room during our stay. We have documented proof of this deceit, including written communication from the hotel and photos showing the room occupied, with electricity on and luggage visible, timestamped to confirm the fraud.

Throughout our stay, the staff’s response to our complaints was dismissive and inadequate, making us, as clients, feel like the bad guys for raising these valid issues. This further exacerbated our dissatisfaction. As seasoned travelers, we can confidently say that this experience was far from the 5-star standard that was advertised.

For future reference, there are many hotels in the area that offer better service at a lower price. We strongly advise potential guests to avoid this hotel to save themselves from similar deceitful practices and...

The setting was excellent as was the parking arrangement. We would never stay here again.

I carefully studied top end hotels in Matera and selected this one. We've stayed in Small Luxury Hotels affiliated hotels in the past and have always had great stays. This hotel was engaging and responsive before our arrival. The parking solution both seemed good and worked flawlessly. The hotel greeting once we reached the property was good and the room looked nice. It was only in the evening that we realized we had issues. First the room never got cool. Second, we had no hot water in the shower. We called down to the office and after 4 tries finally reached someone. They said it could only be looked at the next day as it was too late. They did come to inspect the issues and take a video. We sweated all night.

The next morning a maintenance person did come to the room. The water was marginally made better. The room never got really cool. Ever. And they said that's just how it works. Every other hotel in this trip to Italy has had excellent air conditioning. Some of those hotels were a fraction of the cost of S. Angelo.

As for breakfast, it is in a lovely restaurant up the hill from the main street. The restaurant is beautiful. The food is buffet style with only coffee able to be ordered. It's as though the hotel just forgets about the importance of guest engagement. Nobody ever asked how the food was or if we needed anything else. I am just perplexed how this can be such a beautiful place with mediocre service.

Hindsight we should have checked out after the first night. Maybe other rooms are great, with no issues. Maybe this type of non-service is what people expect.

When we did check out there was no query about our stay. Nobody asked if our issues were resolved. It's as if they don't care. Please consider this and look elsewhere. We will not...

You can spend so much time doing your research on hotels to stay at in a city you've yet to visit, only to hope you chose the right spot. Take my word for it, if you're choosing Sant' Angelo, you are choosing right! Immediately upon arrival the staff welcomed me with such hospitality to a city that is a MUST on your travel list (the art, the history, the caves, and the people make it all worth it) - To the staff like Biagio, who helped with my luggage on the cobblestone and offered incredible recommendations throughout my stay, and Francesco at the front entrance of Regina Corte restaurant who greeted me for breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening (even if you don't stay here... the dinner here is a must) - thank you for such kindness and hospitality - it's because of people like you (and of course, the hiking, sunsets, and views of Matera) that will make me come back. Sleeping in a cave that still had a luxurious feel was a top level experience, the quiet mornings overlooking the hillside was a dream, but again I cannot emphasize enough the top level of hospitality. It really matters when you are somewhere new to be with people who REALLY know the area - that can offer recommendations of the beaten path, and make you feel at home. Gratzie to the entire staff at Sant Angelo. In America, we have a phrase "it takes a village" - it took each one of you to make this such a smooth first stop on my trip. I...