Relais Rione Ponte — Hotel in Rome

First the positives the location. It is well located and within literally two minutes walk of the Piazza Navona and within walking distance of many of the sights you may wish to visit in Rome. ||Second the admission, we perhaps unwittingly chose the wrong type of room for our stay. The ‘classic room’ is absolutely tiny and therefore has no storage space. We knew the dimensions suggested it was compact but the total absence of any storage space whatsoever even for a small suitcase was surprising. There were a few hangers to put clothes on and that’s it. We didn’t have a huge amount of luggage, one small suitcase, one medium suitcase and two budget airline friendly rucksacks. Anything more than a carrier bag and you’ll be climbing over your luggage to get to and from the bed and the bathroom. It is a budget hotel at premium prices our three night stay in October was €783. You could literally open the door without getting up out of bed. There was a double bed wedged in between two aging scratched bedside tables with single plug points on either side that were not particularly easy to access.||Unfortunately the predominant smell as we entered the room was stale layered smoke. On closer inspection the curtains and other soft furnishings were stained. Not quite the airy room adorned with artworks shown in the picture on the booking website. Bare white walls scratched and marked in multiple places presumably by other guests attempting unsuccessfully to negotiate the tight space between the bed and the walls. A double room nonetheless presumably therefore intended for two occupants. Surprising therefore to be provided rather parsimoniously with only one 500ml bottle of water between two people without even a glass to share it. There were two cups. If you chose to purchase the bottle of wine from the ‘minibar’ you’d either have to drink directly from the bottle or out of the cups. This single 500ml water bottle was the only water provided throughout our 3 night stay. Similarly stingy the provision of two tea bags, two sachets of instant coffee and two biscotti. One biscuit was eaten but again not replaced throughout our stay. The impression of profit extraction over customer service was completely reinforced by the regrettable response to our pointing out the smell in the room and the total absence of storage space. They repeatedly and misrepresented our complaint about the malodorous room. We were not complaining about the smell of recent smoke but of the layered smoke that had clearly been absorbed into the soft furnishing that no amount of cleaning could ever resolve. We were told perhaps it was smoke coming in from the street. A somewhat risible explanation because the room was of the interior of the building not the street. But also the smell of fresh smoke is entirely different to stale layered smoke as we clearly explained on several occasions. We raised the issue about storage and the response accurately but unhelpfully was ‘well that’s the room you booked’. Clearly a well rehearsed response to other guests similarly caught out. What I might describe as a small printism approach to customer service. Or perhaps more succinctly tough luck. I’d never have booked a room for three nights that clearly stated please be aware we do not provide any storage space for your clothes or luggage. Caveat emptor indeed. We did try to pay for an upgrade but nothing was available. The second issue was our room not being made up on the second day. Of course this too was our fault as we apparently put the please clean our room sign on the do not disturb side. Admittedly a difficult mistake to make as one side was white the other was grey and not a mistake I’ve ever made in the probably thousands of hotels I’ve stayed in over many years. I concede it may be an extremely remote possibility that I erred on this occasion but it is highly improbable given the surrounding circumstances. I recall in particular being very surprised to see the grey rather than white side of the card greeting us upon our return. I obviously read the card before placing it on the door handle following a specific request by my partner to ensure the room was cleaned. More pertinently perhaps the hotel rules suggested that room would not be made up if vacated after 10.30am. Perhaps the cut off was extended backwards. We had a long tiring day of sight seeing the previous day so it was 10.20am before we left the hotel. In fairness another penny pinching restriction. I will say that the young lad on reception did look a bit sheepish when reporting back the uncompromising responses of those above him and offered us a free glass of Prosecco which we did appreciate but didn’t take up. Bizarrely when I messaged the owner via the booking website to detail my concerns they appeared to take it as some sort of threat rather than an opportunity to attempt some actual customer care. It was as I explained in my follow up message to give notice of the issues we’d encountered in the event they wished to offer some manner of recompense. The list is as follows:||1. Pervasive stale smoke smell in the soft furnishings |2. No storage space|3. Stained curtains and soft furnishings |4. We had to request hand soap as none was provided|5. A single bottle of water provided on the first day which was never replaced|6. Two tea bags and two biscotti one was eaten but never replaced |7. Barely working air conditioning |8. Broken toilet seat and an unpleasant smell |9. The photographs of the room on booking website are unrepresentative bare walls and very old and scratched furniture.||When your attitude towards your paying customers appears to be the customer is always wrong and can’t tell the difference between a grey and white notice in plain English giving a further opportunity to make some gesture towards customer service was more in hope than expectation. Treating customers as inconvenient fools is one approach (no doubt where turnover is the key rather than repeat business) but not one that has ever prompted me to recommend a service provider. I do try to be balanced and fair when reviewing any business but the owner can hardly be surprised that their poor attitude added to the dissatisfaction with our stay because I explicitly explained this to them prior to posting...

A very long overdue honest review of the boutique guest home RELAIS RIONE PONTE in Rome, Italy. Backstory: My nephew, who lives in the US, was getting married in Bucine, Tuscany. It was a journey in of itself, which brought me to a place of traveling to Italy, alone. It was my second time traveling alone to Italy, but the first time I was staying in Italy by myself. I decided ok, I’m going to the wedding, but how can I make the most of my time. I NEED to see Rome, I said to myself. So I planned the whole trip out and found myself at the doorstep of Relais Rione Ponte guest home. I had just seen the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica on the drive over and now I’m in front of this big, wooden door that welcomed me with open arms. I was greeted by a marble staircase, and an elevator. Yes, an elevator! That’s pretty hard to come by when traveling in Italy. ||I made my way upstairs to the hotel and was greeted by a warm, welcoming, smiling woman named Laura. She showed me my room. It was light, fresh and clean. I set my things down and Laura asked me if I needed anything and offered to make me coffee. She mentioned a cappuccino and I immediately took her up on it. She made me my first cappuccino in Rome. It was delicious!! I did a quick freshening up because since I was only there for 2 nights, I wanted to take full advantage of the sites. Laura pointed me in the right direction and off I went. ||After the tour at the Vatican, I headed back to the boutique. I was exhausted. I needed to shower, but washing my hair kind of shower. The bathroom was clean, spacious and the shower had good water pressure. After showering, I needed to sleep after being up for 26 hours. My first rest on the was restful, relaxing and comfortable. The bed is firm but not hard, the sheets are clean, the air temperature is so comfortable. It was so hot outside too!! So, the fact that the room was clean, cool and fresh, made the stay even more comfortable. ||Let me touch on the décor. It was simple with convenient pieces of furniture, but not hotel furniture, And I think all can picture what hotel furniture looks like because it’s the same boring dull furniture at most of them. You had all of your accommodation in a very cool looking room. Oh, the bathroom door has a full-size mirror on the outside of it. It’s very necessary for a girl. Great lighting too! One of my favorite parts is the window! It is a big window that you can actually open., The window was decorated with heavy drapey, that was gold and dark yellow in color. And then there are sheer curtains underneath. So I would love having the drapes open, with the sheer curtains slightly open, with the window open. So you would feel this beautiful breeze and hear the sounds of Rome while you were sleeping. I loved opening the window at night. The city is so alive! Also, bonus, the art work in the Palazzo is all for sale. I have to post a picture of the painting I need to own.. ||I met Serena on Sunday morning since Laura was off. I was once again greeted by someone warm and kind. She provided me with a map and off I went to explore as much as Rome as possible. When it was time to head back to the room, I found myself feeling as if I’m going to my own apartment. I stopped at the little café located right next door to the boutique. It was around 11pm. I had the best tiramisu with a lively waiter who was singing lyrics to the American songs they were playing. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got To Do With It” came on and in that moment, the waiter and I connected.. haha! It was wild. We were both singing it, I said this is a classic! He said it’s Tina Turner! I returned to the room and slept like a baby. ||It was time to go, and I again was greeted by Serena who asked me if I needed anything. She too made me a cappuccino! It just doesn’t get any better than that! Did I mention I love cappuccino?!? I digress. Check out was easy, and in some aspects, I left that hotel room a better version of myself. ||Bottomline: The place offers you a very comfortable, affordable stay, with great décor, great amenities and accommodations, and even greater people. It is clean, bright, great lighting, good water pressure, good snacks (yes, I hit the mini bar..don’t judge me..), and ultimately, for a woman who traveled alone, I felt safe. And that to me, is everything. A big thank you to the ladies of Relais Rione Ponte! I would stay there again and...

The location is good, if slightly difficult to find behind a battered looking door. It is within 2 minutes walk from the Piazza Navona and within walking distance of many of the sights. Unwittingly, we chose the wrong room for our stay. The ‘classic’ is tiny with virtually no storage space. The dimensions suggested it was compact but the lack of storage space was surprising, just a couple of hangers above the ‘minibar’. Anything larger than a carrier bag and you’ll be climbing over your luggage to get to and from the bed and the bathroom. Premium prices for a hostel experience (three nights in October for €783). You could literally open the door without getting up out of bed. A double bed wedged between two aging scratched bedside tables with awkward to access plug points on either side. The predominant smell was of stale layered smoke. Not the airy space with artwork adorning the walls depicted on the website, rather, completely bare white walls scratched and marked in multiple places. The curtains and other soft furnishings were stained. A double bed suggested room for two occupants. Surprising therefore to be provided with only one 500ml bottle of water without even a glass to share it and it was not replaced during our stay. Stingy provision of 2 teabags, 2 sachets of coffee and two biscotti. We ate one, it was not replaced. The impression of profit extraction over customer service was completely emphasised by the response to our initial complaint. Apparently, it was smoke coming in from the street. A risible explanation since the room was on the interior of the building and the smell of fresh smoke is entirely different to stale layered smoke as we explained on several occasions. Raising the issue of storage we received the unhelpful and uncompromising response ‘that’s the room you booked’. A small printism approach to customer service. I’d never have booked a room for three nights that clearly stated please be aware of the severely limited storage space. We did try to pay for an upgrade but nothing was available. The second issue we encountered was our room not being made up on the second day. Of course this too was our fault. Apparently we put the ‘please clean our room’ sign on the ‘do not disturb’ side. Admittedly, a difficult mistake to make as one side was white the other was grey, nor a mistake I’ve ever made at any of the thousands of hotels I’ve stayed in previously. In fact, given the surrounding circumstances improbable. I was surprised to see the grey rather than white side of the card upon our return. I read the card before hanging it on the door after a specific request by my partner. The person on reception looked sheepish when reporting the response of the managers and offered us a glass of Prosecco, appreciated but not accepted. My message to the owner (via the booking website) detailing these issues was bizarrely interpreted as a threat rather than an opportunity to exercise a little customer care. It was as I explained in my follow up message to give notice of the issues we’d encountered in the event they wished to offer some manner of recompense. It elicited no response. The list is as follows: stale smoke smell in the soft furnishings, lack of storage space, stained curtains/soft furnishings, no hand soap until requested, single bottle of water (between 2) never replaced, 2 tea bags & 2 biscotti 1 was eaten never replaced, poor air conditioning, broken toilet seat and unpleasant smell, unrepresentative advertising photos. I do try to be balanced and fair when reviewing any business but the owner can hardly be surprised that their poor attitude (which seems to be the customer is always wrong) added to the dissatisfaction with our stay because I explicitly explained this prior to...