Ca 'San Polo — Hotel in Venice

Where to begin…||We arrived on Friday, 18 July at 11pm. We communicated with the staff ahead of time we were on a late flight. They told us they would not be there (the ad on Expedia says it’s 24/7 security so already this is downhill…)||We read some reviews about cleanliness and found mixed results so we proceeded with caution as we understand most hotels in Venice are old buildings. How bad this hotel experience was is honestly comical. When we got to the hotel, we found out the front door to the building didn’t lock, anyone can push to come in. Then we got to our hotel room and found bed bugs underneath one of the mattresses (we got two twin beds as it was my friend and me celebrating a 30th bday). We found blood stains on both of them and various stains with bug fecal / shedding debris. So… obviously it’s late at night and we are unable to sort another accommodation and the reception / 24-hour security does not exist, we slept on the ceramic floor of the bathroom in rounds and decided we would go to reception first thing in the morning. Now at this point, we had no sleep and it’s 8am. We left a message on the WhatsApp for the hotel staff so they understood we were extremely upset with the conditions of the hotel room and we wanted a refund from the first night and arrangements for another room that we could thoroughly inspect beforehand. The woman at the front told me she would have to speak to the manager but could get us sorted with a different room for 10am as there was nothing available at the moment. I asked to speak to the manager about the refund from the previous evening as she said there was nothing she could approve / do herself. It’s been 2 days and we checkout tomorrow and the manager refuses to get in contact with me to discuss. I have been nothing but nice to the staff members and albeit assertive - because who can blame me? The manager refuses to take any form of accountability for what has occurred. We did not receive a refund for the first night, I haven’t even received any form of apologies from the manager for the state of the room, and the inconvenience my friend and I had to go through. The service, the conditions, even the breakfast - which had expired yogurt and bruises on almost all of the fruit - is repulsive and honestly, appalling. What was supposed to be a beautiful birthday celebration in Venice has turned into a terrible experience.||||Please. Do not stay here.||Stay anywhere else but here.||||Please see photos of the bugs - trigger warning...

Where to begin… We arrived on Friday, 18 July at 11pm. We communicated with the staff ahead of time we were on a late flight. They told us they would not be there (the ad on Expedia says it’s 24/7 security so already this is downhill…) We read some reviews about cleanliness and found mixed results so we proceeded with caution as we understand most hotels in Venice are old buildings. How bad this hotel experience was is honestly comical. When we got to the hotel, we found out the front door to the building didn’t lock, anyone can push to come in. Then we got to our hotel room and found bed bugs underneath one of the mattresses (we got two twin beds as it was my friend and me celebrating a 30th bday). We found blood stains on both of them and various stains with bug fecal / shedding debris. So… obviously it’s late at night and we are unable to sort another accommodation and the reception / 24-hour security does not exist, we slept on the ceramic floor of the bathroom in rounds and decided we would go to reception first thing in the morning. Now at this point, we had no sleep and it’s 8am. We left a message on the WhatsApp for the hotel staff so they understood we were extremely upset with the conditions of the hotel room and we wanted a refund from the first night and arrangements for another room that we could thoroughly inspect beforehand. The woman at the front told me she would have to speak to the manager but could get us sorted with a different room for 10am as there was nothing available at the moment. I asked to speak to the manager about the refund from the previous evening as she said there was nothing she could approve / do herself. It’s been 2 days and we checkout tomorrow and the manager refuses to get in contact with me to discuss. I have been nothing but nice to the staff members and albeit assertive - because who can blame me? The manager refuses to take any form of accountability for what has occurred. I haven’t even received any form of apologies from the manager for the state of the room, and the inconvenience my friend and I had to go through. The service, the conditions, even the breakfast - which had expired yogurt and bruises on almost all of the fruit - is repulsive and honestly, appalling. What was supposed to be a beautiful birthday celebration in Venice has turned into a terrible experience.

Please. Do not stay here. Stay anywhere else but here.

Please see photos of the bugs - trigger warning...

Ca' San Polo||||Venice||||Fine for backpackers at €100 a night but it’s not a hotel of any standard and is misrepresented on its website.||||I rated this hotel 2 out of 5, which would have been a 1 if not for the excellent staff.||||I booked through a travel agent and the hotel is not even close to that represented on the website. It’s not a hotel and should be categorised as a hostel. Property ratings can be subjective, a 3-star can be great in amenity and value and close to 4-star but in this instance it’s a 2-star and that’s what it is.||||Big tip. Don’t book this hotel through a travel agent or similar, book direct; they have a mug’s rate and the real rate. At the real rate, around €100 a night for a couple it’s budget but reasonable and I’d rate my stay higher. My travel agent, with access to wholesale rates, for every other hotel I have stayed in with four overseas trips these past three years since Covid have had a variable plus-minus of no more than 5%.||||If you are interested in how do I know about the rate difference? A previous guest left their receipt in the bedside draw.||||I knew what I’d paid and what I expected so was left shocked by the size of the room which I questioned only to be told very politely detecting a degree of embarrassment that I’d already been upgraded!||||The hotel advertises my room as having a city view. You can judge from the photos yourself if you consider this to be a view.||||The linen and towels are old, very old, well worn and not up to any minimum hotel standard.||||Overall the hotel, except for the dining area, is dirty.||||The “terrace” is dirty and disgusting. It’s not a terrace but a smoking area with four chairs and two huge ashtrays not emptied for weeks.||||A few positives.||||The hotel location is good with only three bridges between the hotel and train station but I’d recommend a porter. The best €30 you will spend.||||The air conditioning was good.||||The fridge kept drinks cold.||||The bathroom including the shower was fine with good water pressure.||||The breakfast is basic with far too many pastries at the expense of other options but represented good value for €10. ||||This hotel is fine for a couple of backpackers on a budget but for €180+ a night there are literally hundreds of...