"I booked Apollo Boutique Hotel a month in advance for a 3-night stay in Rome (May 8–11), paying nearly €1,000. I'm writing this detailed review so other travelers can make an informed choice — what happened to me was avoidable, and the way it was handled was worse than the original problem.
** What went wrong **
On the day of check-in, around 1pm — just hours before my arrival — the hotel messaged me on WhatsApp claiming a "plumbing issue" had made my room uninhabitable. Their proposed "solution":
- A move to a "replacement" property they had chosen
- A €45 refund for the breakfasts I'd no longer receive
- A complimentary dinner at their restaurant
I went to see the replacement before deciding anything. It was not a comparable hotel. It was a guesthouse with a 3.1 Google rating, visibly run-down, with an active construction site directly across the street. I didn't sleep that night.
So: boutique-hotel prices, guesthouse accommodation, and a €45 breakfast refund as "compensation."
** Trying to resolve it **
The next day I returned to Apollo and asked for a refund of 2 out of 3 nights — not a full refund, since they had technically arranged alternate lodging. The conversation was difficult. The manager's framing was that I should be grateful, because "finding last-minute accommodation in Rome's high season isn't easy." Their failure to honor my booking was reframed as a favor they'd done me.
After a long back-and-forth, they agreed to refund €500 (half the total booking). I accepted to end the conversation.
Where it became something worse
They handed me €300 in cash on the spot, and told me the remaining €200 would be paid two days later — the reasoning given was that the €200 "represented the third night, which hadn't happened yet." The logic didn't hold up, but I wanted to leave.
Before walking out, I asked them to sign a written agreement for the outstanding €200. They did.
It has now been two weeks. The €200 has not been paid. My follow-up messages have gone unanswered.
** Summary **
I've traveled to over 20 countries and stayed in a wide range of properties. This is the worst hotel experience I've had — not because of the original plumbing issue (which can happen anywhere), but because of everything that came after it:
- A "replacement" that was a serious downgrade, presented as an equivalent stay
- A manager who treated a reasonable partial-refund request as an imposition
- A signed refund agreement that has not been honored
Would I recommend it? No. There are hundreds of well-run hotels in Rome at every price point. Choose one of them.
A note to fellow travelers: if a hotel ever does this to you — relocates you last minute to a clearly downgraded property — don't accept anything verbally. Get every commitment in writing before you leave the front desk, and don't accept partial payment with promises of "the rest later." In my case, even a signed agreement wasn't enough."
