Relais Donna Lucrezia — Hotel in Rome

BEDBUGS

Our stay started out nicely and likely would have been great had we come at a different time. The staff was initially friendly. The hotel was charming and the room seemed lovely when we arrived. We stayed July 2024-finally getting around to writing this because I didn’t want to think about this horrible experience again.

After the first night there we woke up to see a live bug crawling across our pillow. We snapped a photo of it and disposed of it before doing some research and identifying it as a bed bug. When we brought the issue to the front desk, the person was very quick to have us pack our luggage and move us to another room (directly adjacent to the original room). The staff member was not surprised and explained that a family "had an issue" in the original room last week. He then went on to say that the hotel had left the infected room closed for 3 days to quarantine the room. He said they had just opened it for the first time again for our stay, 3 days after the previous issue (No mention of actually treating the room or getting rid of the bedbugs! You can’t just close a room and hope they go away!). When we moved to the new room he assured us that the issue was resolved, though we felt uncomfortable because if you have bedbugs in one room they’re likely going to be in more places.

I said “I think we’ll need to get our clothes dry cleaned from this…” and the person immediately jumped in and very defensively said "madam, that is not our responsibility.” I didn’t ask them to do it, I could have simply been asking about a dry cleaner nearby (though it is definitely your responsibility since you knowingly put us in a room with bedbugs!).

They did not offer any type of remedy other than moving us to the next room over, which was a downgrade. We spoke to our travel agent who booked the accommodations to see if they could speak to management and at least get a refund for the first night since the staff person was rude and unwilling to discuss an actual remedy to the situation (moving next door doesn’t solve the problem that all our stuff risked infestation now). The hotel staff offered a bottle of sparkling wine and that was all, which we declined as we do not drink. The travel agent proceeded to submit a request for a refund for the first night and said it would take some time, so we left it at that.

When we returned to the hotel after dinner, they had finally moved our stuff to the new room, and we naturally checked the bed for any signs of bed bugs. Within 30 seconds we found three large bed bugs behind the headboard. We immediately called the hotel’s emergency line which was directed to the same staff member we spoke to earlier. We told him directly that this was unacceptable and we cannot stay here. He came to the hotel and immediately started talking about the travel agent and how he was upset because the agent said that he has been rude and harassed us since the first say we arrived. We explained that we did not say that, and he kept playing us voice memos from the agent in itialian (we are not fluent and did not understand). We explained that we believed him that the agent said that though it wasn’t what we said and clearly was a miscommunication, but he was not interested in listening, only in talking. When we finally got to the actual issue, he was very dismissive. We showed him the three bed bugs and he quickly crushed them and said they were not bed bugs. He took a picture of the crushed up bug and a piece of lint and said they were not bed bugs again. He then explained they would be refunding the entire stay and we are free to go. It was now very late at night and we were on the street without a place to stay.

He then changed the subject back to the travel agent and kept insisting that we said that he was rude and it’s very embarassing for him. He was very rude and would continually interrupt us when we were trying to explain that there clearly was a miscommunication. Eventually he continued to raise his voice and say he does not like to argue, while continuing to interrupt...

This place is incredible !!! This wonderful family run hotel rivals and even surpasses many larger 5 star hotel franchises. Lucrezia and her family have really put together an amazing place to stay when visiting Rome. It is located securely in a gated historic building with numerous restaurants, a small convenience store, and pharmacy nearby. We were greeted by Lucrezia and she escorts you to the second floor where the hotel portion exists. The building also has a wonderful vintage elevator that my children enjoyed riding. The hotel itself has a wonderful combined sitting and small but comfortable breakfast area with open kitchen where Lucrezia and her sister prepare a wonderful complimentary breakfast every morning. They have both Italian and American breakfast choices all freshly prepared with ingredients from their family farm. It was truly amazing and the hotel also offers complimentary coffee, biscotti, and other wonderful tarts and treats throughout the day for their guests. The rooms are very well appointed, feature all the modern conveniences, and make you feel like royalty. The AC is by far the best of any building we entered in all of Rome. Such a welcome relief after the heat of an Italian summer day. The beds and even the sofa beds were extremely comfortable and all the linens were fantastic. We were fortunate based on our party’s size to get a room that had a private balcony that overlooked the narrow streets below. Amazing views of Italian twilight skies. Although they did not offer a laundry facility in house they had our laundry sent out and it was returned same day. Whoever they have contracted to provide this service was amazing. Shirts were pressed and on hangers and other items were washed, pressed, folded and then presented in gift boxes as if it were Christmas. Costly option but worth every penny if you needed items washed during your stay. The rooms also offer small refrigerators with reasonably priced snacks and drinks. If you are not needing or expecting extensive spa, pool, or restaurant amenities as you may get at the St. Regis or Rome Waldorf Cavalieri Hotel this place is by far the most amazing place to stay at a reasonable nightly rate. You can easily see the love and care that Lucrezia and her family put into this amazing location. Book every stay here as you will not regret it. We will certainly stay here again on our next trip to the Eternal...

We had a wonderful stay at Relais Donna Lucrezia, a small boutique hotel well located on a quiet street near the Villa Borghese, the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain, and not far from many of Rome’s attractions. The hotel is very intimate, like staying with family friends, and is in a building that was the family Palazzo, built in 1920. The building is very secure, with the room keycard also giving entry to the building.||Our experience began when we booked our stay with the hotel directly (I highly recommend doing that to get the best rate). During the booking process I emailed Lucrezia, the owner, numerous times with many questions. She always answered promptly with helpful suggestions (including the best gelato stores).||We stayed in a Junior Suite with a small balcony that had a table and chairs. The room was large with high ceilings, some family antique pieces of furniture, a very comfortable bed, two comfy oversized upholstered arm chairs, and a modern well-appointed bathroom with a large shower.||Lucrezia and/or Nelson, the Concierge who welcomed us upon our arrival, were available throughout the day and arranged taxis, made restaurant recommendations (there are many in walking distance) and reservations, and made helpful suggestions such as tours to take and how early we needed to arrive at Roma Termini Station for a day trip to Villa d’Este in Tivoli.||The room rate includes a delicious buffet breakfast and either Lucrezia or Nelson were there each morning. Some items on the buffet were cereals, eggs, pastries, croissants, yogurt, fruit, juices, coffees, teas, cheeses, bacon, and sliced hams. Many ingredients (olive oil, eggs, cheeses, and ham) used in the preparation of the breakfast come from their nearby family farm, which we went to on the private tour offered by the hotel. The tour included a visit to the farm, a nearby winery to see the wine-making process and for wine and cheese tastings, and lunch at the family restaurant. It was both interesting and delicious.||We could not have been happier with our choice to stay at Relais Donna Lucrezia and highly recommend it if you want your stay at a Rome hotel to be a...