Hotel Cappelli

Air conditioning is turned off overnight! An undisclosed hotel policy and an absolute nightmare in August! We chose this hotel for one very clear reason: AIR CONDITIONING. Driving from the north to Montecatini Terme on an unbearably hot day with an unwell baby and young child, we needed a cool room to sleep in. The hotel’s website and Expedia listing both advertised air conditioning, so we booked it. What we actually experienced was a disaster. We arrived late at night, exhausted and desperate to rest. Reception staff were helpful and welcoming, but shortly after midnight the air conditioning cut out. We called reception, thinking it must be a fault, only to be told that the hotel switches it off every night and only turns it back on at 6am. At no point on the website, on Expedia, or during check-in was this mentioned. Such crucial information MUST be made very clear before or during the booking process. Had we known, we would never have stayed here. To be clear, the night receptionist was blameless. He was very kind, apologetic, and even tried to source a fan at our request - unsuccessfully. Sadly, his hands were tied by this absurd policy, leaving us to endure a boiling hot night with no relief. Our sick baby cried in discomfort, our older child was sweaty and restless, and the room was suffocating. The receptionist suggested opening the windows. However, we were on the 2nd floor, and the windows opened wide with no bars or protective measures. Keeping them open overnight would have been a terrifying safety risk with a small child in the room. The thought of waking to the unthinkable tragedy of a child having climbed out was horrifying. We had no safe option but to swelter in the oppressive heat. We were stunned by the absurdity of this rule. This was August in Italy, when heat is at its fiercest. It is not a mild climate where aircon might be optional. To advertise air conditioning, then deliberately cut it off during the night hours when guests need to rest, without even providing a fan, is inexcusable. Guest comfort should be the bare minimum, yet this hotel disregards it entirely. The result? A sweltering, miserable night. We continued our journey to Chieti the next morning utterly drained. The final insult came at checkout. The day receptionist did not even ask how our stay had been. After completing checkout, we mentioned the dreadful night ourselves. She looked surprised and simply confirmed that “yes, there are set hours for the air conditioning.” As if this excused anything. What made matters worse was the lack of compassion or gesture of goodwill. No offer of refund, nothing. We paid for air conditioning in the peak of summer, and we did not receive it. Beyond the Aircon fiasco, the hotel itself is shabby and neglected. It may once have looked nice, but that time was decades ago. Furniture was chipped and rickety, towels threadbare and smelly, and toiletries were miserly – two tiny sachets of shower gel for a family of 4. Toilet paper was the cheapest kind imaginable, more suited to a low-budget hostel than a supposedly decent hotel. Carpets were dirty, paint peeling, mouldy bathrooms. The property felt worn out. Everything points to the hotel being run on a shoestring budget. There is nothing wrong with a business operating within limits, but it must be honest. Sadly, this hotel is not. One single roll of budget toilet paper for a family of 4, rationed air conditioning, threadbare, smelly towels, and cheap fittings all underline that the hotel cannot meet the expectations it sets. Either reduce the advertising claims to reflect reality, or raise rates slightly to provide guests with the comfort promised. As things stand, it is a lose-lose situation: guests feel cheated, and the hotel collects bad reviews. The cheapness is not worth it for either party. This review reflects only our own stay, confined to one room and one dreadful night. If you value comfort, health and your hard-earned money, avoid this hotel - at least until management finally invests in the improvements it desperately needs.