Hotel Danieli, a Luxury Collection Hotel

We booked a family trip to stay at Hotel Danieli in June 2020. When COVID hit and it was apparent we would not be able to make our scheduled trip we were informed through Marriott that we would receive a refund (we have the email that states this exactly). However, Hotel Danieli will NOT refund us our money. Furthering the terrible customer service of Hotel Danieli we were going to pass our 2 rooms onto friends in Italy since the hotel would not honor their commitment of refunding us our money. Hotel Danieli would not honor this alternative either as they had closed their doors and no guests were allowed to stay at their hotel. The customer service is non-existent, we understand the plight they were facing, yet they will not give us the same courtesy. If this is how they treat upcoming guests I cannot imagine the actual stay!

We left the Danieli hotel extremely dissatisfied! So much so that I am writing my very first review on Tripadvisor despite being an avid traveller. Travelling about 3 months of the year, we are accustomed to staying at the finest hotels around the world. If you seek palatial luxury and excellence in service, the Danieli is certainly NOT the hotel. The splendor and grandiosity of this hotel is but a distant memory. What remains of this historic hotel are its walls and yesteryear reputation. To say the hotel is in decadence and decline would be an understatement. Literally everything is old (not in a charming way), worn out and grubby looking. Avoid looking at the details or it would be a real eye sore! No doubt, this property is in desperate need of major refurbishments. The overall service is a reflection of the hotel. Service is poor to non-existent, probably more suited to a 2 star establishment. In all our travels we have not experienced this. I called housekeeping and the concierge answered the phone. I went down to the reception but no one was around and so the concierge dealt with my needs. No doormen or bell boy to be seen at anytime during our stay. It seems like the hotel is under staffed and/or staffed with unqualified people. The efficient concierge seems to be handling more than the traditional hotel concierge tasks. As we had booked with Amex FHR, we were upgraded to a room with a lagoon view and while the view is splendid, the room itself is mediocre and shabby with an outdated bathroom. The towels and slippers provided were tacky and of very low quality. If it hadn???t been for the view we wouldn???t have even stayed a night. At breakfast, when you request for freshly squeezed juice they confirm it is possible but instead deceive and serve stale bottled juice. Choice and quality of food is poor or low average at best. Service at the table was very brusque, inattentive and unrefined. We had lunch at the Terrace restaurant. The food was unremarkable but compensated by the spectacular view of the lagoon. After lunch, my husband had forgotten his phone on the table, he went back 3 minutes later and all 4 people on duty insisted they did not see any phone on the table. Perplexed, I tried calling my husband???s phone twice, someone had declined the calls!!!! So I immediately started the find my iphone alert which made a loud beeping noise and miraculously my husband???s phone was found in the kitchen area! Apparently, the person who had cleared our table did not see the black iphone on the white table cloth!!!! And somehow the iphone ended up in the back kitchen. This is a scandalous and pathetic act that never should have happened. It definitely puts a bitter taste in our mouths and created a bad souvenir. The next morning, Mr Carpanese, the Resident Manger spoke to us about the incident. While we appreciated his elegance, he provided no clarifications. Instead, he offered to invite us for one night at the hotel should we accept to stay on an extra night. However, after our very unpleasant experience, it would be unimaginable to ever consider staying another night only to prolong our discontent. We don???t need, wish or expect for any freebies. We just desire for good service and a comfortable stay, which unfortunately the Danieli so terribly failed to deliver. We actually felt so relieved and happy to check out of the hotel, we even curtailed our stay in Venice and headed straight to the airport. We had enough! The Danieli claims to provide ?? Luxury, Sophistication and Timeless Elegance ?? what a BIG JOKE! It is extremely surprising that the Danieli still maintains its 5 star ranking and is recognized by the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts. We have stayed at several other hotels in Venice booked via the Amex FHR which were much more luxurious and befitting than the Danieli. Comparatively, the rooms at the Danieli were lower priced and now we understand why. As the saying goes........You get what you pay for! Sent from my iPhone