Hotel Antico Panada — Hotel in Venice

When we arrived, nobody was at the front desk, so we waited about 20 minutes. Whilst we were checking in, the clerk was rude with no greeting; she answered a personal call on her phone, then she mentioned directions to our room, going in the lift up and then going to the end of a corridor and then I did not think I heard her correctly- she said we had to go downstairs to our room. I could not believe that was correct as I had asked for a room that was accessible by lift only because my father has a mobility issue which we mentioned to the hotel months ago when we first booked. We went to the 2nd floor, followed a narrow winding sloped hallway and then found the only way to get to our rooms was a vertical decent down very steep stairs with all of our luggage and dad was with a walking stick and a mobility scooter which reception said to leave under the stairs at reception with no security and no supervision, ( a scooter costing over $4000!). Then, by the time my dad struggled down the stairs he said thanks- now I will be stuck here for 5 days unable to get out due to the pain and swelling of his ankle which was worsened greatly by the stairs he was forced to take to our room. We asked if the room could be changed urgently and were told that the earliest would be the morning. That night, I called my mother and father in the other room because I could not get my room to heat up. We called reception and were told that the room was at the highest temperature and that the rude hotel staff member implied that it was our fault if we could not get warm enough. The towel rack was warmer than the room itself. The next morning we were told that the room change would not be ready until after 2pm. We had paid for 6 nights for 2 rooms and they said we had to take all of our things out of both rooms, return the keys so the rooms could be cleaned and then by 2pm we would be issued new rooms. Instead of going for a morning walk, my husband had to struggle back up the stairs and then take the lift down to reception and wait with our luggage as it was not secure in the lobby, whilst my mum and I went out. He called about 11am to say that all of our things were put into a single room with a double and 2 single beds all spread around a tiny poky room for us to try to stay for the next 5 nights. It was impossible. We booked another hotel and proceeded to move our things out. When we returned the keys, before 2pm, we were told not to expect a refund as none would be given! Don't stay here, whatever you do. It smells like rotten sewerage and mould all over, the floors are uneven and carrying your luggage up and down stairs is not helpful when you have medical issues. Whuilst my dad was watching our luggage, he also heard the staff unprofessionally discussing us as if we were not there, assuming he could not understand any...

From the outside, this place doesn't look bad at all, and it's located pretty close to San Marcos plaza and the boardwalk. Unfortunately, as soon as you walk in you are assaulted with an extremely repugnant smell of sewage/rot that spreads throughout the entire stairwell of every single floor and the hallways connected to that stairwell because it is so strong of a stench. It was bad enough that upon smelling it despite breathing through my mouth, I gagged multiple times. I can't attest to the complimentary breakfast because the entry floor smelled so bad we weren't willing to sit down and eat, or even stay down there for an extended amount of time. As stated above, the hallways connected to the stairwell also smelled terrible because of the stench downstairs, but besides that, they were like a labyrinth. I felt like I was Theseus, so that was cool. The room looked great, very antique, and there was an entire hot tub in the bathroom, along with a towel warmer and hairdryer connected to the wall. Beds were big enough, but with kind of a hard mattress, which wasn't really a problem for me. The bath tub also periodically leaked after being used, but wasn't too much of a problem if you just put a towel down. There is a fainter smell of sewage coming from the bathroom that isn't nearly as bad as the entrance floor, but still unpleasant, since it also spreads towards the main room as well. The staff was very kind, but the guy with the ponytail was kind of creepy, and overly nice to young girls. 24 hour reception is a straight out lie since the ponytail guy and any other receptionist seemed to enjoy leaving the desk for long amounts of time, we only saw someone at the desk 2 times during our 3 day stay. You can definitely leave your luggage there, but they don't sticker it or put it behind the counter or do any safety measures at all. When we went to retrieve it, since there was nobody at the desk, we just took our stuff and left. Overall it was lukewarm-ish for a budget hotel, a little sketchy in some parts, and the overwhelming stench is definitely a deal-breaker, but if you need a place to go for cheap, it's not the worst place. I would definitely not go back myself, though.

I forgot to add this before posting, but I got a few bug bites, as did my dad. Since this hotel has a history of bedbugs based on the reviews, I wouldn't put it too unlikely they...

If you're thinking about spending your hard earned money at this hotel, PLEASE DON'T! Don't be fooled by the "good" reviews (like we did).

Be aware: -Apparently, you must fit the front desk agent's standards to stay at the "main hotel". If not, your room will be located outside of the building about a block away. If you stay there be prepared for: a horrible stench, sketchy elevator, and not see a single employee anywhere. But if you state their use of false advertisement, available rooms (magically) appear. (NO WHERE ON THE WEBSITE DOES IT STATE THAT ROOMS WILL BE LOCATED IN DIFFERENT BUILDINGS ) -Bellman will take you to your room, swearing under his breath, stomping up stairs, complaining about how YOU'RE making him do extra work (after room change). -Hotel WIFI is not available in the rooms (MENTIONED ON WEBPAGE). Only in the common/lobby area. BUT be warned after 2AM the hotel lobby is pitch black, no one is at the front desk and you're locked inside the hotel. So for example if you're like me, you're doing work due to the US/ITALY time difference at 2:00AM and don't want to keep your husband up, when you politely ask to have a lamp on in the lobby area. The front desk agent on night shift will tell you "NO, its late. Lights will not be on. Go to bed. You came here to sleep not to work, work in Italy if you want to work".

I asked for the man's name which he did not provide, I asked to speak to a manager and no one was available. The audacity these employees have is something I've never experienced/witnessed. I myself worked as a Front Desk agent in college. If my employer knew I behaved like this I would be gone that second. I never leave negative reviews, but THIS, this is absolutely disrespectful and complete lack of professionalism. My husband and I are the ones who are paying to stay at this establishment...you're not paying us. So the least you could do is be respectful. If you hate people, and your job -- Please don't work in the hospitality/customer service industry.

Not only are the employees disrespectful, but if something were to happen in the middle of the night (an emergency), be aware the front desk agent locked the door and is sleeping somewhere in the back room.

MY ADVISE TO GUESTS: STAY IN THE COMFORT INN ACROSS THE ALLEYWAY, or any other hotel...I'M SURE THOSE EMPLOYEES HAVE...