"I booked three nights at the San Luca Palace Hotel in Lucca, from 24 to 27 July 2026, travelling with my 74-year-old mother. We had to leave the hotel early on 26 July because of what happened.
We were assigned Room 25, on the second floor. From the start, we were disappointed by its condition, which in our opinion was not what one would expect from a 4-star Superior hotel: worn furnishings, peeling surfaces in the bathroom, a cracked sink and mould stains around the shower.
On the morning of 26 July, I woke up with my neck and arms covered in bites, and we found blood stains on the sheets.
We inspected the bed and were shocked. The mattress was covered with numerous black dots and stains, typical traces of bed bugs faecal matter, and we found several bed bugs, both alive and dead. Some were stuck to the mattress label and others were on the windowsill. We killed some of the live insects and blood came out when they were crushed. We photographed everything; some photos are attached to this review.
That same day we went to the Emergency Room in Lucca. I showed the doctors my lesions and photographs of the insects found in Room 25. After examining the photographs, the doctors confirmed that they were bed bugs. Because of my severe reaction to the bites, I was prescribed corticosteroids and antihistamines for one week. I have kept the medical report documenting my visit and treatment. The attached photos also show my arm the following days, when the reaction was even more pronounced.
We immediately reported everything to the receptionist. The hotel offered us another room almost directly opposite Room 25. After what had happened, I inspected its mattress, but its condition did not reassure me, so I refused it. We were eventually transferred to another hotel, where the room was clean and the mattress spotless.
San Luca Palace initially refunded two of the three nights and covered our accommodation at the other hotel. After I challenged the decision, the hotel eventually provided a full refund. I acknowledge this, but this review is not about money: under these circumstances, I consider a full refund the minimum one could reasonably expect.
What should have been an enjoyable weekend in Tuscany became a source of anxiety and distress. My 74-year-old mother was deeply shaken and spent much of Sunday crying. Once we understood the risk of accidentally bringing bed bugs home in our luggage, we decided as a precaution to dispose of our luggage and much of its contents, including valuable belongings.
The conditions of the mattress, the extensive traces on it and the presence of both live and dead bed bugs raise, in my opinion, serious questions about the effectiveness of the hotel’s inspections and management of this problem.
Afterwards, I checked public reviews and found several other reports mentioning bed bugs on Google, Booking and TripAdvisor, dating from 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Most concerning to me were Booking reports dated 17, 18 and 22 July 2026, just days before our arrival on 24 July. I also found a report from July 2025 apparently referring specifically to Room 25, the same room assigned to us approximately one year later.
For fairness, I cannot personally verify other guests’ experiences or know what measures the hotel took following those reports. What I can document is what happened to us: the condition of Room 25, the insects we found and photographed, and my subsequent Emergency Department visit and medical treatment.
For my mother and me, this was the worst hotel experience of our lives. No refund can give us back our ruined weekend, replace the belongings we disposed of, or erase the distress we experienced. This experience has also left me with considerable anxiety about subsequent hotel stays.
I deeply regret staying at this hotel, and I would NEVER stay at this property again."
