Hotel Bolivar in Rome

This hotel is centrally located and within around 10 minutes of many attractions. However the rooms are old and dirty. Decor is outdated and poor use of space. The bedding and vents had so much dust that a thin layer build up on the nightstands each morning. Also the mattress is filthy and had traces of hair on the sheets. Half the time, there was no one behind the reception counter. Breakfast had a decent spread on the top floor with some views.

I stayed at Comfort Hotel Bolivar in Rome last week. The hotel itself is nice, and the room service was truly excellent — the best part of our stay.

However, we had an unpleasant experience with one of the staff members. There was a woman (wearing a red coat — she was the only one dressed like that, so we assumed she might be a supervisor or in a higher position) who was quite rude, both to guests and to her co-workers. When we asked her for help, she didn't understand us, as she did not speak English. This was surprising for a 4-star hotel in the heart of Rome, a major tourist destination.

After she struggled to understand us, she called another staff member — a young Asian girl — who was very polite and fluent in English. She kindly helped to translate what I was trying to communicate. However, the woman in red didn’t seem to care about what was being said, and continued to be dismissive. Later, we noticed she was friendly with her Italian co-workers, but not with foreign guests or foreign staff. We don’t have any personal issue with her, but when guests pay for a 4-star hotel, they expect professional and respectful treatment from all staff.

We are very thankful to the young girl who helped us, even though we didn’t catch her name. She showed great professionalism.

Another disappointing part of the stay was the breakfast. The food quality was very poor — fruits were not washed, and many items were not fresh. Honestly, it wasn’t up to the standard you'd expect, even from a lower-rated hotel.

Overall, while some parts of the experience were positive, a few key issues made our stay less enjoyable than expected.