Minareto Hotel

We had booked a one-week stay (July 13–20, 2025) at this 5-star hotel in Sicily. Unfortunately, two days before our arrival, our 16-year-old daughter contracted a severe case of COVID (with alarming symptoms), forcing us to urgently return to France. Despite providing a medical certificate, the hotel showed no understanding and made no commercial gesture: we were charged 80% of the total stay, with no discussion. During peak season, a hotel of this category could have easily rebooked the room. By contrast, the other high-end hotel we were staying at showed empathy and decency by not charging us for the final night. Il Minareto presents itself as a luxury hotel, but it reflects neither the values of hospitality, nor a true sense of service or ethics that one should expect from such an establishment. 🟥 At Il Minareto, luxury stops at the wallet. The rest is just for show. Our daughter has only recently started to recover. We therefore remain open to dialogue should the management wish to reconsider their stance. It’s never too late to show dignity.

My wife and I highly value personalized service in 5-star hotels. We believe that this, combined with excellent facilities, sets the standard for a true luxury experience. We have traveled extensively, always staying in 5-star hotels, and this is the first time we have encountered such a disappointing and surprising situation as we did at Hotel Minareto in Syracuse. We simply cannot understand how, in a supposed 5-star hotel like Minareto, it is not possible to speak to a person to request a soda, a drink, a towel, etc., because everything must be done via WhatsApp. If your request is not fulfilled correctly, or if you want to add something (like ice, for example), you must submit a new request through the same system and then wait another 10 minutes. Naturally, there’s no chance to get a recommendation or have a conversation with a bartender or waiter—because they simply don’t exist. Although the hotel facilities are decent, it is shocking that at a 5-star hotel, you will not find lounge chairs with towels and umbrellas ready at the beach or pool, nor any staff nearby to assist you. The only person present is a lifeguard, whose job is not to serve guests and who is not trained to do so. Conclusion: we left the hotel immediately (accepting the cost of the nights we had reserved), and fortunately found a true 5-star experience at the Grand Hotel des Étrangers, located in the heart of the city, where service and hospitality are taken seriously.