Residence Garni Bellavista — Hotel in Salten-Schlern - Salto-Sciliar

Disappointing Stay Due to Deceptive Pricing and Unethical Practices

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Our group of four had a highly frustrating experience at this property, marked by misleading pricing, poor communication, and unethical behavior from the owners.

What Happened: Booked a 2-bedroom apartment for 4 people (advertised with 4 beds) at a confirmed price of €660 for 4 nights (excluding taxes). We paid a €200 deposit. Upon arrival, the owner demanded €880—claiming the original price was only for 3 people. No prior notice was given about this price increase, either in writing or during check-in. When questioned, she insisted this was "common logic," despite her own website listing prices per apartment, not per person (see photo). Host refused to return our passports unless we paid the inflated amount—an alarming and potentially illegal practice. The owner’s daughter later blamed "poor English" and again cited "common logic," refusing to acknowledge their lack of transparency. Only after repeated complaints did they offer a €60 discount, with no real apology or justification.

Why This Was Unacceptable: ✔ False Advertising – Price changed without warning. ✔ Unethical Behavior – Holding passports hostage is unacceptable. ✔ No Accountability – Owners dismissed concerns instead of resolving them.

Final Thoughts: We would have paid fair additional costs if communicated upfront, but a 30% price hike based on arbitrary rules is inexcusable. The passport incident made us feel unsafe. Avoid this property—there are far more professional options in Ortisei.

Advice to Future Guests: Get all pricing terms in writing before arrival. Avoid paying in cash to prevent disputes. Keep passports on you at all times.

Would...

We had an unpleasant experience at this hotel due to a lack of clear communication and unreasonable policies.

First, the hotel does not accept credit cards without a surcharge and only accepts cash. This was not clearly stated in advance, and since we didn’t bring enough cash, they confiscated our passports until payment was made—something that is both inappropriate and possibly illegal.

Second, we had booked a two-bedroom suite for 3 people, but one extra friend joined us last minute. The hotel then charged us by dividing the full room rate by 3 and adding another 1/3 to the bill—without informing us of this pricing method beforehand. There was no clear explanation or written policy given at the time of booking or check-in. We would have expected a reasonable extra guest fee, not a sudden increase based on a completely arbitrary formula.

The lack of transparency and flexibility made us feel unwelcome and taken advantage of. I would not recommend this hotel to...

Avoid this place! I had a very unpleasant stay. First, the bathroom draining is disgusting. The first night when I showered I notice the water is barely going down, I opened the drain and it was covered by dirt. The owner then refused to admit it was the lack of cleaning on their end and accused me for having long hair and caused the problem. The receptionist is very unfriendly. The room only had one trash bag but I stayed for four nights. When I asked her for trash bags, she started saying “your table is full of your makeup your room is very messy “ It’s ridiculous that she went into my room without my approval while I was out. They also did not clean my room at all during my four night stays. Not even replacing the towels...