Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers was to be the first hostel of a two month trip to Europe for myself and a friend. Traveling from Australia, we were nearing forty hours of travel when we arrived in Rome at nearly eleven pm. Tired and out of sorts, we were at least happy in the knowledge that we had a bed waiting our weary bodies. Upon arriving at the Fawlty Towers and traipsing up a murderous five stories of stairs (rather than risk the aging elevator that wouldn't fit more than one person plus luggage and looked like it might fall apart at any moment) we were informed by a joyless receptionist that they had absolutely no record of our names or our payment, and that there was nothing they could do to accommodate us. It was not until we were able to bring up a receipt and booking record that the receptionist deigned to do more than give the current bookings list more than a cursory glance. We were the informed that in the process of making our non-refundable, non-cancellable booking, we had neglected to perform a final confirmation, thus losing our booking--and apparently, the full value of the week long stay we had payed for. The receptionist claimed that they had never received any payment, showing only a small, near illegible line of text reading 'Payment not received' on their copy of our 'aborted' booking. We were then told that as the fault lay with us for not confirming our booking, Fawlty Towers was under no obligation to offer us further service. Exhausted, hungry and frustrated, we accepted that some mistake had occurred and made to leave in search of another place to stay. I requested a copy of the receipt as a just in case, but was told that that would not be possible. When inquiring why this was so, a breakdown in communication occurred, the receptionist's English deteriorating with alarming swiftness. The following morning we called our travel agent, and the true story was revealed. There was no 'final confirmation' required, no aborted booking and no failed payments. Our travel agent, booking through a reputable hostel organising company, had made the booking we asked for with all due process. We were locked in, and satisfied with our arrangements. The fault lay with Fawlty Towers, who outright deleted our booking with no notice, no refund, and no thought as to the consequences, in favour of a longer, more profitable booking. Not only did they cancel our booking without a word to any of the parties involved, they also kept the full weeks payment and attempted to mislead us as to the cause of the stuff up, denying all responsibility on their part. Fawlty Towers did eventually refund us the money, but only after a demand for an explanation from both our travel agent and the hostel organising company. In the end, the money was all we got; the hostel did not even attempt to conjure up an excuse for their actions. Truly shifty business that made for a bitter start to a long anticipated trip. 1/5, do not recommend.

I travelled to Rome, Italy for a weeks stay on 6 - 14 May 2013. I was travelling with my friend for over a month around Europe and this was the first stop! We arrived in Rome late at night, relieved to finally have arrived after two days of flying from Australia! We had booked months prior through our travel agent, had receipts and actually got a brilliant deal for the week! It was non-refundable and not able to be cancelled! It was perfect for our trip and my friend insisted it was worth it! But upon arrival, it was quite different. We arrived to discover that there was no booking. The receptionist said that it 'didn't go through on our end' despite having receipts and emails to prove this. Our travel agent had advised us that all transfers for accommodation were confirmed. They showed us a printed slip of paper that had our names crossed out with a receipt stapled to it. We asked for another room and said there was nothing available, not even one night. The receptionist shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to insinuate that our travel agent had kept the money for themselves. Unwilling to assist us on finding another hotel, we left. We frantically searched the area with our luggage looking for a place to stay. Thankfully we found something nearby. The following day we contacted our travel agent about the issue and after a few phone calls, all was revealed. Fawlty Towers had cancelled our booking without contacting us or our travel agent, as it was agreed upon as a non-refundable offer. So not only were they fully booked when we arrived, but they accepted our payments and sent confirmation of our stay prior to this. This was more than a double booking accident. Without even staying there, the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Our travel agent dealt with the situation, had struggles obtaining a refund despite they were at fault and will no longer recommend this hotel to any clients. And from then on as we scoured Rome for another place to stay! I do not recommend Fawlty Towers based on this experience, the attitude of the receptionist and the dishonesty. Be VERY cautious when booking here!

Stayed 3 nights (14-16 Jun 2013). The staffs work on shifts and they are very nice, helpful and always willing to give a good service to the guests with wide smile except for one male staff who worked on 15 and 16 Jun night shift who were quite arrogant and not friendly. Hotel is quite old and a bit creepy because of not enough lighting epecially looking at the old fashioned elevator and one day the elevator did not work that I needed to walk up to the sixth floor. But the overal hotel condition is good and worth because the hotel is kept very clean. The room service is good. Worth paying!