SINA Brufani — Hotel in Perugia

When we arrived on Nov. 5th, it was raining pretty hard. My driver helped us with our bags as there was no doorman or bellman at the hotel door. I thought that was odd, but we went in and there was no one in the lobby except for a woman at the front desk. It was around 6:30 p.m. The woman (named Eva) proceeded to tell me that she would make us dinner reservations (at my request) but that we had chosen a bad time to come because the weather forecast was bad for the next few days. I thought that was very negative. However, the following also happened:

No dresser for clothes and I had to call two times for hangers as the closet only had four; Very thin blankets and pillows on the beds, I called for extra blankets. The ones that were delivered were tired and worn. I had the very distinct feeling we were alone or almost alone in the hotel; the first floor rooms (saw when I used the stairs) were all open and under construction, with equipment everywhere Breakfast was very poor with stale bread, many prepackaged treats, etc. We ate little and had a bigger lunch elsewhere; Shower in the room (upgrade deluxe twin) was so small that I barely fit in it without touching the walls. I am 5’4” On the second morning we were seated next to the men working on the first floor at breakfast who were eating in their construction gear The music playing on the radio in the dining room was continually skipping and no one noticed The staff in the dining room did not speak English and brought us the wrong drinks as a result When we went out, the front desk gave us 2 umbrellas at my request. One was broken (discovered when I was halfway down the street and opened it when it started to rain). When I returned, I told the front desk person it needed to be thrown out. I later saw it back in the bin. I again pointed it out but later I saw it there again. The lobby has an old, stale smell to it. The rooms, lobby and hallway all have the same smell. I saw on line that this is an “old-style” hotel. I like that usually, but this hotel needs renovation and cleaning.

We left after two nights. When I told the front desk about my concerns, she said “you still have to pay” (that was the first thing out of her mouth), instead of asking me what was wrong. The staff person then told me that I should wait to talk to the manager (Chaira Ziarelli) because she came in at 9:15. Our driver was coming at 9:00 a.m. for a tour so we did not wait, but I asked her to ask the manager to email or call me. No one did.

In addition, I received an email from the hotel manager whom I had never met several days after sending this information to the hotel headquarters accusing me of lying in almost every way. The manager also said he was having difficulty "saying calm" when responding. I was shocked. STAY AWAY...

We stayed at Hotel Brufani in Perugia for 10 days. The location is truly beautiful—right in front of the main piazza in an historic building. However, this property falls far short of what you would expect from a 5-star luxury hotel, especially when compared to international standards such as Belmond or similar establishments.

The overall feeling as soon as you enter is that the hotel has been left behind. The furniture and interiors are old, worn, and not properly maintained. Cleanliness is questionable, and you can sense the effort to cut costs. Despite being high season, the rooftop bar—one of the most beautiful features of the hotel—was always closed, and so was the main restaurant inside. This gave the hotel an abandoned atmosphere, with only the outdoor bar operating.

The pool is nice, but the spa facilities are very disappointing. The sauna and Turkish bath are outdated, almost broken, and smell unpleasant. The gym is frankly unacceptable for a hotel of this category: just five machines, three of which are broken, all crammed into a ridiculously small space.

Breakfast was completely unacceptable—closer to what you’d expect from a three-star hotel in Italy rather than a 5-star luxury property. As for the staff, with the exception of one person who was truly helpful and professional, the rest honestly seemed lost and unprepared, as if they had no idea what it means to work in a luxury hotel.

In summary: a fantastic location and some potential, but very far away from true 5-star luxury standards. The management urgently needs to invest in proper maintenance, staff training, and services to bring this hotel back to life.

My suggestion: remove the "5 star L" classification to this hotel, give it 4 star and guest will arrive with the right expectations without being...

The taxi driver from the airport (when we finally managed to find one) told us that the Sina Brufani was the best hotels in Perugia. It is also one of the most costly. So expectations were high!||The Hotel itself dates from the 19th century. It has that feel. It its in a great location in the Old City at the edge of the city walls, overlooking Umbria. The room was a Junior suite, and was indeed large! Two small balconies that had great views, especially at sunset. |It did actually feel bit empty , maybe one additional item of furniture, or chair would be in order.|The Bathroom was lovely, marble lined. Twin sinks. The Bath though is narrow, water saving feature I guess. The shower was lovely and powerful.|Basic but nice toiletries were provided. eg Wall mounted shampoo etc. ||Room service was a bit hit and miss at times. After having only received complimentary water on day one, this was quickly rectified by the Front Desk, and confirmed it should have been done each day of our stay.|Our ,main issue with room was the bed! Fine if you like your mattress hard. It was a bit too. hard for us!||Breakfast was very good. Plenty of Yoghurts, cold cuts, sweet cakes etc etc. There was a small selection of cooked items (scrambled eggs, Bacon and sausage). The staff were very friendly and helpful.||In all we enjoyed our time at the Sina Brufani. Yes it is looking a bit tired at the edges, but it does have an old world charm. Great location for local restaurants, bars and sites in the city.|It is a 5 minute walk to the Mini Metro and then a short ride onto the railway station where you can get cheap trains to Assisi, Spello,...