Britannia Excelsior

"I've stayed at EDITION properties in Abu Dhabi, Bodrum, West Hollywood, Barcelona, and — on this same trip — Rome, where the experience was outstanding. Lake Como was the opposite in almost every respect. Problems started before arrival. I requested an airport transfer and a private boat excursion nearly six weeks out; neither was confirmed until the day before, and only because the concierge at The Rome EDITION stepped in to sort it out on my behalf. The pre-booked transfer itself had no EDITION signage at pickup — I found our driver by chance, on his phone. The most serious issue: I have a documented kiwi allergy, listed in my Bonvoy profile, on my reservation, and emailed ahead to Front Office, Concierge, and Guest Experience. I was served kiwi at breakfast anyway. When I flagged it, the plate was simply taken away — no apology, no replacement, no acknowledgment of how serious that could have been. We celebrated my sister's birthday at the hotel restaurant, Cetino, and it was a low point of the trip. Five servers rotated through our table and only one introduced herself; several didn't seem to know the menu but kept pushing extra dishes we hadn't asked for. Multiple staff had long nail extensions touching the inside of serving bowls and plate rims, and the server plating our fish tableside had loose hair hanging over the food. We'd been promised a balcony table for the occasion; instead we faced a window frame covered in bird droppings. We raised all of this after dinner and got nothing back except an automated "hope you enjoyed your stay" email two days later. The room had its own issues. There was no way to turn the lights off from the bed or door — every switch had to be turned off individually around the room. The bathroom had no towel rack or hook, so you had to step out into the corridor to grab a towel — a corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows visible from other rooms. There were also flies around the interior window frames, with visible insect nests just outside. As a Platinum Elite member, I received no welcome amenity and no gesture in lieu of a room upgrade. The nightly "turndown amenity" was a chamomile tea bag taken straight from the minibar and left on the nightstand — no cup, no presentation. We also booked a private two-hour boat excursion through the hotel for €750. No water or refreshments were provided, and we were grouped at the dock with guests on other excursions. The same boat booked independently is cheaper and includes Prosecco and soft drinks. To be fair, Gustavo in Guest Experience and the spa team were genuinely warm and attentive — real bright spots. But across the rest of the stay, there was no ownership of any of these issues and no attempt to recover the experience. Despite the volume of problems, the General Manager never reached out — during the stay or afterward — to acknowledge what happened or offer an apology. For a hotel at this price point, under this brand, that's hard to reconcile."

"I rarely write reviews this negative, but our stay at The Lake Como EDITION was, without exaggeration, the worst experience I have ever had at a luxury hotel. We booked three rooms, including a Loft Suite, with rates approaching €2,000 per night. I am also a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite member and have stayed extensively across Marriott’s luxury brands worldwide. What happened during this stay was completely unacceptable for a hotel positioning itself at this level. The problems began on our first night. One of our standard rooms developed a ceiling leak directly above the bathroom sink. We had to report the problem and temporarily relocate for the night. At the same time, our Loft Suite had malfunctioning air conditioning and a persistent sewage smell coming from the bathroom. Because engineering was unavailable at night, the guest in that room had to spend the night with inadequate air conditioning and the sewage odor. The following morning, we were told the problems had been fixed. We returned to the suite and discovered that neither problem had actually been resolved. Management eventually agreed to relocate both affected rooms. Unfortunately, even the replacement Loft Suite was not properly prepared. The in-room safe was still sitting there with wires and packaging intact, as though the room had not been fully finished for guest use. During the stay, one of the bathroom mirror lamps also fell, and the issue remained unresolved through checkout. But the most shocking incident happened with our third room. We had requested that one Standard King room be changed to a double-bed room. We were told the new room needed additional time to be prepared and instructed to leave our packed luggage behind so hotel staff could transfer it once the room was ready. When we returned at approximately 11 PM, we collected the keys to what we were told was our ready room. We opened the door and found a room that had NOT BEEN CLEANED after the previous guest checked out. The bedding was not changed. Used towels were scattered around the bathroom. Trash and belongings from the previous occupancy remained on the floor. Even more unbelievably, the hotel had already moved our luggage and personal belongings into this dirty room without any repercussions. We immediately went downstairs. Because housekeeping was apparently no longer available at night (non-24 hour housekeeping team? That’s a first at a luxury property!) and the hotel claimed to be fully occupied, we were told our only option was to return to our previous room — which also had not been cleaned or refreshed. The situation was essentially reduced to choosing between someone else’s dirty room and our own dirty room. At a luxury hotel charging close to €2,000 per night, I find this extraordinary. And somehow, the problems continued. We pre-ordered breakfast for two rooms for 9 AM the following morning, clearly specifying which order belonged to which room. One room received nothing at all, while the other received the wrong room’s breakfast. We had to call yet again to have the missing order prepared. Our room keys also repeatedly deactivated throughout the stay, requiring us to return to the front desk more than six times to regain access to our rooms. Meanwhile, one of the hotel’s two elevators was out of service for two full days, leaving the entire hotel relying on a single elevator. Guests regularly queued for it, and many resorted to taking the stairs. Any hotel can experience an occasional maintenance problem. That is not what this review is about. What made this stay so unacceptable was the sheer number and consistency of failures across virtually every aspect of the experience: leaking ceilings, malfunctioning air conditioning, sewage odor, an inadequately prepared replacement suite, a falling bathroom fixture, a completely uncleaned room being assigned as ready, our luggage being placed inside that dirty room, incorrect/missing breakfast orders, repeatedly deactivated keys, and an elevator being out of service. It reached a point where we genuinely wondered what could possibly go wrong next. As an ambassador member of Marriott, I have stayed at numerous EDITION, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and other luxury hotels around the world. I understand that no hotel is perfect, and I am generally very accommodating when isolated issues arise. This was not an isolated issue. It was a complete breakdown of basic luxury-hotel operations throughout our stay. With regret, The Lake Como EDITION ranks as the worst luxury hotel experience I have ever had."

"Our stay at The Lake Como EDITION was nothing short of perfection. Having traveled exclusively with Marriott for 11 years and logged over 1,100 nights across the world, I’ve stayed at some incredible properties, but this stay was truly special. From the moment we stepped out of the car, Sara, Theo, and I were made to feel right at home as we celebrated my mom’s 50th birthday at Renzo and Theo’s 10-month anniversary! ​The team treated Theo like family—setting up his crib upon arrival and even preparing special food just for him throughout our stay, which meant the world to us. ​Service across the entire property was a flawless 10 out of 10. What impressed me most is that despite only opening in March 2026, the hotel operates with the seamless grace and confidence of a long-established favorite. Beyond that, the staff here are genuinely kind human beings. I noticed how gracefully and patiently they handle difficult situations, which says everything about the caliber of this team. ​I’ve seen a few negative reviews online complaining about basic hotel policies like standard 3:00 PM check-in times or not receiving elite room upgrades. While the team graciously managed to get us into our room early, expecting early access as an entitlement during peak operation is crazy given how hard this staff works to get every room perfect. As for upgrades, our room was fantastic regardless, and people seem to forget that upgrades are strictly based on availability, not guaranteed just because you hold status. ​Every team member made a lasting impression: ​Renzo: Osvaldo and Leonardo were wonderful during our celebrations, and breakfast at Renzo quickly became our favorite morning ritual. ​The Front Desk: Valentina, Bernadette, and Philippe set an incredible, warm tone right from arrival. ​The Bar Area: Yasmin and Suzana took fantastic care of us. ​The Floating Pool on the Lake: Dimitra and Giannis provided top-notch service at what was easily my #1 highlight of the property. ​Concierge: Gabriella and the entire concierge team were absolute rockstars—seamlessly scheduling our private boat tour, dinner reservations, and daily taxi rides without a hitch. ​Spa & Wellness: The spa facilities—especially the cold plunge, sauna, and steam room—were top tier for ultimate relaxation. ​Bellmen & Pool Attendants: Always on point, attentive, and proactive. ​ We wish we could name every single staff member because every interaction was exceptional, but to the entire team—thank you! ​Having stayed at EDITION properties across major cities in the US and Europe—including some of our absolute favorites—The Lake Como EDITION is hands-down our favorite and most memorable stay to date. ​ We cannot wait to return!"