Hotels near Piazza Maggiore, Bologna

I was upgraded from the basic room to the suite because of my birthday, even though I didn’t as! Didn’t expect that at all, got a terrace with sun loungers that made my day even more perfect 😊 staff was also helpful with recommendations for breakfast places nearby, super happy that I chose nh hotel over mercury, will definitely stay again if I come back to Bologna 😊

I stayed in both mercue bologna and this hotel, so can make a more fair comparison. 1) if you are a sound sensitive sleeper, please NEVER stay in the hotel facing the train station side. You can hear the train!! I requested a room facing the opposite site, Mercure gave me a quiet backyard one, but Starhotel didn’t. 2) if you are a Accor member, you’ll get minibar free at Mercue! However, there’s even not a bottle of water provided at Starhotel…. 3) if you choose breakfast included, mercue provides a very decent one with various fresh fruits! However, Starhotel one can make you feel depressed after two days… and I even have to skip the last one because the line looks like taking at least an hour to even get in…. 4) in short, mercue is better, and I don’t know why it gets a very low rating at Google, and I will never come back to this hotel.

Despite being ~20min away from both the city centre and Bologna Centrale, UNA Hotels is still conveniently located as there are multiple direct buses that link these places to the hotel. The room is clean and modern and many amenities are provided such as shampoo and body wash. The TV is also modern and you can connect to watch videos on your phone. There is also a bidet in the bathroom and even a seat in the shower for the elderly. A slight note is the bathroom is a little bit mouldy but not noticeable. I recommend this hotel highly as it is comfortable, clean, and affordable.

The hotel was only a 15-20-minute walk from the train station. The rooms were much bigger than expected with a comfy couch (and blankets) and TV. There was also an Alexa set up and she played music when directed and was pleasant. The kitchenette had ample utensils and cookware, but no napkins or paper towels. They supplied cold water in a pitcher as well as several bottles of wine (NOT complementary, but reasonably priced. The prices on the list in the room differed from the prices at the front desk, tho.) The complementary slippers were used every day as the tile floors were chilly. There was always enough hot water in the showers, but one bathroom light was out the whole time we were there (reported it to the front desk on the first day and they said they already knew about it, but were waiting on maintenance to fix. We had to make due without it for the six days we were there.) There were instructions on how to use each of the appliances (much appreciated!). It was a short walk to restaurants and cafes and the shopping district. Great accommodations for the price point and lots of room.

The hostel provides you with the bare necessities, such as a comfortable bed, a spacious room and locker including a lock, and a small bedlight and socket. Unfortunately, that is also literally it and nothing more. There are no curtains for the beds. The bathroom is super weirdly laid out; there is a bathroom with shower, the only toilet and a sink behind a door; then in front of that, there is another sink and a shower. WITH NO DOOR. Making this shower literally unusable. There are two light switches in the bathroom, one that turns on the light in the back bathroom (behind the door) AND a light for the front sink. This means that, if people are sleeping in the bed next to the bathroom, there is literally light shining directly on their face and all the sounds. A problem easily solved by adding a door and curtains on the beds. The bathrooms didn’t have hand soap (they were empty) or any shower amenities (no shower gel). You have to pay if you want a towel, and you also have to make your own bed. There is also a lot of noise from the neighbours, what seems like a student accommodation. At this kind of price range, the level of amenities is terribly disappointing and could be easily solved. I have stayed in hostels all over the world and sadly this one was just one of two options in Bologna, so not much choice. There are really a lot of simple improvements possible that would have made it worth it, but I really cannot say this is value for money at all.

I guess it all depends on expectations - I booked it because it had really good recent reviews at the time but I was disappointed with the experience. The rooms look like they have been relatively recently renovated but because everything in the rooms is cheap and basic and there are marks and stains on the walls they appear tired.  The style is basic functional so you should not expect much in terms of comfort or coziness. The hotel is poorly ventilated so there is smell in corridors and in the rooms. I changed a room because there was additional smell coming from the bathroom.

Although the hotel isn't in the city center, it's not too far away. It has free parking, which is great for those traveling by car. If you turn left when you exit the hotel, there's a large Extracoop, making shopping very convenient.

Downtown; convenient; the room is small but at least clean and quite intentional. Other gods don't have to expect too much. Of course there is no elevator and you need to pay attention. Of course the hotel will also notify in advance

I enjoyed my stay at the Astor :) the room had a funny smell, the breakfast was very uninspiring, and one could hear every noise from every corner all the time, but the room also was large and comfortable and the bathroom was good and everyone on staff was very friendly and helpful - it was a relief to stay at a place where it felt a lot like being at home. I definitely would stay again.