Grand Hotel Sestriere

We were on a retreat at this property with an amateur soccer club of 120 boys aged 13 to 16. We stayed for 2 nights and we immediately noticed that beyond the luxurious exterior and interior appearance of the hotel, everything else did not work. Food that calling it poor is an understatement; at breakfast there wasn't even coffee for purchase and we managers and instructors were forced to go to the bar; lunch and dinner were terrible with always the same food; to get bread we had to ask for it and it was brought sparingly. Pasta with sauce and plain pasta every day, second course of boiled vegetables and grilled chicken or turkey, dessert with jam tarts bought at the market. We had to take the boys to buy something to eat to get full. A celiac boy (reported to the kitchen) was forced to go to the emergency room because he was served by mistake a dish not compliant with his condition. Not to mention the check-out (scheduled by 10:00 AM) with the cleaning ladies in the room at 9:00 AM dismantling our room with us guests still inside. The package we had provided for the release of the rooms at 2:00 PM. Unprofessional staff, struggled to understand the Italian language, and the owner was arrogant, overbearing, and rude, with little inclination for dialogue or addressing guests' requests. An experience to forget and one I wouldn't recommend even to my worst enemy. Forget 4 stars, this property deserves 1, and I'm already being too generous. Experience to forget.

We had a marvellous ski hotel in Sestriere and enjoyed staying at this hotel very much. We stored our ski’s and boots at the ski hire shop adjacent to the slopes at Nonna Adelina which itself was very organised. The atmosphere in the hotel was great and all the staff were friendly and very helpful. Special mention to Alberto the barman who was friendly, welcoming and very efficient in such a busy bar. Also to the waiter Omar who always remembered which coffees we wanted and got them for us every day and to Veronica and Ibra who were also very friendly and helpful in the restaurant. Our room was also very comfortable, big and warm. We would definitely stay here again.

We had a fantastic family group trip to Sestriere. The skiing was excellent, the weather couldn’t have been better, and we found everyone to be incredibly friendly and welcoming. We travelled as a group of 8 adults and 2 young children (aged 4 and almost 2), and overall had a wonderful holiday. The location of the Grand Hotel Sestriere is ideal—just under a 10-minute walk to the slopes, which made for a perfect pre-ski warm-up each morning. The food was lovely, with a great variety and choice available each evening. The staff were truly fantastic, particularly with the children, and always went out of their way to help—nothing ever felt like too much trouble. Our room was comfortable and suited our needs well. We stayed in a superior room to accommodate a cot for our toddler, and there was enough space for us to enjoy a comfortable week. We also had a balcony with stunning views of the resort and ski area, which was a real highlight. There were a couple of minor drawbacks. Our room (319) had not yet been updated with socket outlets compatible with UK travel adaptors. Fortunately, as we were travelling in a group, we were able to use sockets in other rooms that had been upgraded. While this wasn’t a major issue for us, it might have been more inconvenient if we were travelling alone, and we would likely have requested a room change. On arrival, we were pleased to find a thoughtful ‘sleep well’ kit, including an eye mask and ear plugs. However, as the week went on, it became clear why these were provided. Noise from the nightclub at the other end of the hotel could be heard late into the night—often until around 4am. With a toddler, this proved quite disruptive and was a significant downside for us. Despite having a truly enjoyable holiday, it’s a shame that this issue has influenced our decision not to return to this hotel next season.