Hotel San Zulian in Venice

I have to say it's a very close location to the main attractions, but don't expect anything else. Your room, except for the bathroom, doesn't have a trash can. There's no water heater, but when you ask the front desk about hot water, don't expect any help, as they'll say they don't. If you're unlucky enough to get a room on the top floor (the fifth), congratulations! You'll be in a sauna in the 35-40°C summer heat. If the air conditioning is always on at 16°C, I wonder if the hotel will fix it, as it was already on when I arrived. I felt sweltering after about 20 minutes! At least there was a breeze outside the window at night! But the room felt like a sauna. You couldn't open the windows because of the mosquitoes. Even so, they kept their clothes hangers in a stuffy, old closet, worried they'd be taken away. A truly miserable night.

Terrible experience – theft and no responsibility

I had my Gucci sunglasses (300€) stolen from my backpack in the hotel’s “luggage deposit,” which is nothing more than an unguarded corner in a corridor, far from reception, with no cameras or supervision. I left my bag there for just 5 minutes, came back, and the glasses were gone.

When I reported it, the receptionist was ignorant and dismissive, first trying to blame me (claiming I lost them before coming to the hotel – which is untrue), then saying “we can’t do anything.” No attempt to help, no checking of cameras, no manager available. Only after I went to the police and returned with a report did they admit cameras might be checked, but only days later by a technician.

This place is unsafe, unprofessional, and takes zero responsibility for guest security. If you value your belongings and basic respect, avoid this hotel.

The room was lovely and very clean – thank you to the housekeeping staff.

However, as a solo female traveler, I booked a hotel for safety and expected to stay inside the hotel building. Instead, I was sent to a completely separate building with no name, located through confusing alleys several streets away. At night, I got lost trying to find it, since it’s not marked on Google Maps.

If I had known this in advance, I wouldn’t have booked this hotel. For this kind of experience, I would have chosen an Airbnb.

I stayed at this “hotel” for two nights and it was an absolute nightmare. For $250 per night, I expected at least basic comfort — instead, it was the worst stay of my life.

First of all, mosquitoes. They were everywhere. I couldn’t sleep for two nights straight. I kept killing them but they kept coming. Turns out they live inside the air conditioner. It was exhausting and disgusting.

Second, the room itself is a disaster. Small, dark, with cold tile flooring that feels like an old hospital. The lighting is miserable — dim and depressing. The bathroom is tiny, barely enough room to move. Everything looks worn-out and untouched for decades.

To make it worse, the room is not even inside the main building. You have to exit to the street, go around the back, and find a random door that leads to a creepy stairway. Each time I forgot which door was the right one because they all look the same. It feels like a cheap, back-alley motel — not a hotel near Piazza San Marco.

Add to that the dust, noise, and total lack of hospitality, and you get the worst tourist experience imaginable.

Absolutely not recommended. Not even worth it at one-third the price. Venice is not Paris, but this place doesn’t even try.

We had an extremely disappointing experience at San Zulian Hotel in Venice. Despite paying nearly 400 euros for two nights (as a couple), the room we were given was in an appalling condition. It was dirty, rundown, and had a musty odor, with dead insects visible on the walls. There was no proper duvet, just a dusty blanket pulled from an equally dusty wardrobe.

To make matters worse, the TV malfunctioned within minutes, emitting sparks from the bottom, which required us to disconnect it for safety. When we reported this to the receptionist, his reaction was dismissive, implying we were exaggerating. He reluctantly inspected the room but informed us that we couldn’t change rooms until the next day due to the hotel being fully booked.

When we were finally moved, the second room (in red, see pics) had not been cleaned—dirty sheets and towels were left from the previous guests. Once again, we had to visit reception to request a proper room. The receptionist’s response, a casual “not again,” suggested this was a recurring problem.

This experience left us wondering how this hotel remains operational. They seem to rely solely on their central location, neglecting basic standards of cleanliness and customer service. We highly advise against staying here and will certainly choose a hotel further from the center next time if it guarantees a better experience.

🚨 BE CAREFUL!!!!!!! ALERT 🚨
Don’t book this hotel. The room doesn’t match the photos on Google, Booking.com, or Agonda. After we arrived at the hotel and checked in, they sent us to a room outside the main building, approximately 200 meters away.

The room was full of mold, the walls were dirty, the bed was uncomfortable, and everything looked terrible, as shown in the photos. I wouldn’t have booked this room if I had known this beforehand!

After reading other guest reviews, I see that many have complained about the same issues. They keep deceiving people.

The room was sub-par feeling grimy and all around unclean. I killed 3 mosquitoes, bought repellent and yet was still bitten the next day. An unbearable amount of noise came from absolutely everywhere in the hotel, construction, other guests, hotel staff. It seems several times our room was left unlocked after being cleaned.
The staff were rude and unhelpful when asked about bus strikes on the day of our return flight.
Furthermore, upon arrival the receptionist was checking the wrong list for our reservation, being extremely rude and only submitting once he realised it was his mistake.
The breakfast was awful, the coffee tasting like water mixed with mud.
The shower curtain was black with damp.
Honestly, pay the extra £100 and have a nice hotel.