We booked Hotel Palazzo Abadessa in Venice through Hotels.com, trusting its 4-star rating. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of that standard. The first room we were given was on the ground floor, intended for DICA guests, and had a strong mold odor that made it impossible for my wife to sleep. The next day, we were moved to a split-level room, with the king-size bed on the lower level and the bathroom upstairs—an inconvenient and unsafe layout. There was no proper comforter, only a decorative bedspread that touched the floor, which we had to use to cover ourselves—very unhygienic and too small for the bed, leaving the mattress exposed. There was also no coffee machine in the room.
The shower door was off its track and fell directly on my wife, causing her pain and distress—an unacceptable and dangerous situation. We have photos of this. The room was advertised as having a canal view, but the window was small, very high, and couldn’t be opened. Breakfast was served only from 8 a.m., unusually late by hotel standards. We were told the building is 500 years old and that renovations are planned for January 2026. While the decor is historic, this does not excuse the poor condition and lack of comfort. That said, the staff were kind and clearly doing their utmost to please, even though much was beyond their control.