Hotel Centrale - Bologna

I don't understand why this hotel has just 2 stars. It deservers at least 3 stars.

I have been in the CEntrale every year, for many years. I have sent friends in many opportunities to this lovely Hotel

- Location:Perfect! 2 min from Piazza Maggiore and 15-20 min (on foot)from train station. SAFE for a woman travelling solo. - Staff: VVVVEEEEERRRRYYY friendly and helpful. - Rooms: quite spacious and clean. - Breakfast: Satisfying for a 2star hotel, it could have been better, though.

When we arrived at this hotel the room was run down and unclean. We are traveling with two children and did not feel comfortable having them stay in a hotel with dark red stains on the sheets, hair in the bedding, and spatter marks on the ceiling. Crime scene investigators would have lots to work with here. Reviews elsewhere about renovation likely refer to the lift and ground floor lobby, which serves the different tenants of this shared building. I would guess the actual hotel room was last decorated in 1978. To be fair, the view out over the rooftops was nice, and the location is very central. Expect substantial traffic noise and extensive graffiti at street level.

Very nice hotel. Great value for price. Location was good. Little walk to main attractions, but close to lots of shopping and markets.

It's central. it's not quiet. it's better in the upper rooms where you might get a view over the roofs of bologna's old center. the hotel is an old city place in the 3rd and 4th floor of an apartment/business building right behind the main street, with a long history and offers exactly what you might expect from a 3-star city hotel. we stayed 3 nights here and felt very much part of the city, simply because you're 2 steps away from all the action. not recommended for children.

It was an easy place to stay, right in the center of the historic part of town and close to everything, walking was easy, safe for a single woman, bus access, desk personal were very helpful, good price on the internet special

Good location within walking distance to main areas. Delicious cappuccinos at breakfast. Small issue with shower/toilet that was quickly resolved with room change.

We stayed in Bologan for four days. The location of the hotel was excellent, right at the heart of the centre and yet quiet. The airport bus stops nearby. The accommodation ansd breaskfast buffet was excellent.

Good location .2 minutes to the piazza maggiore. Buss from Airport at 100 M .Large room and(27)and bath room .excellent breakfast buffet . Very nice welcome . Should be recommended .

I didn't like the strong bad smell in my room, a kind of sewer odour, but not comming from our bathroom.

We Love This hotel!! We have arrived in for at least 5 times. We loved also the breakfast

Very pleasant stay indeed! Most enjoyable.

On venere.com this Hotel was rated with 4 Stars, but it has only 2 Stars. I Think that is a big Difference and 110 € a Night is very much for an Hotel with 2 Stars. Please change your Offer and tell me how could that happen. Best Regards G. Hostrup

Hotel Centrale is in an ideal location for a weekend break as it is in the centre of the old city, it is also within easy reach of public transport for trips further a field.

Centrale was perfectly located for our trip. We wanted a city break and a trip to the Ducati factory.

A very enjoyable stay in a superb location just a short step from Piazza Maggiore. Rooms at the front are noisy but this is to be expected given the central location. You get somewhat accustomed to that after a couple of nights. Otherwise the hotel was excellent value for money with a breakfast that was much better than I was led to expect, given the comments of other guests. Makes me wonder what some people are used to having for breakfast in Italy. Yes, I would stay at Albergo Centrale again without hesitation. Fully recommended if you take ear plugs and a 'relaxed' view of traffic and late night revellers as a small price to pay.

Centrale was a lovely place to stay. It's central location made it very convenient for walking to main tourist spots, as well as food shops, chemist and a department store. The room was modern with newly fitted out bathroom, and the breakfast buffet was lovely - variety of food and very comfortable surroundings. Road noise travelled into the room only if the window was open, but at night it was quiet as the windows were shut. I liked having the choice of open (large) windows rather than relying on air conditioning. It was located a few floors up, but had a lift. I would stay here again, although Bologna has a lot of cigarette smokers, so you wouldn't go there to improve your health. It's street architecture make it a very attractive place though, so it is worth a couple of nights stay.

Hotel is in an excellent location. Breakfast was substantial compared to other Italian hotels we have stayed. Could do with tea making facilities in rooms. Excellent value for the special offer price we paid.

Good value, great location. Fifteen mins walk from the railway station dragging a suitcase and getting slightly lost. Grab a map beforehand, or pay for a tax instead. Entrance is easy to miss. It's a big door in the wall of a building, a button high up is to be pressed to gain admittance, the door swings open slowly, and there is a short corridor, and a lift to the third floor. The front desk appears to be attended all hours by an assortment of characters. Some grumpy, some very chatty. The hotel has a couple of very well maintained aquariums of salt water fish on display, an unexpected pleasure which I enjoyed immensly.

From the bright, cheerful and professional modern entrance to the comfort of the large room with great views (we had a triple)we had a great experiance. They have a very welcoming entrance hall with a shiney glassy elevator to begin your pleasant stay. The staff is friendly and helpful and the breakfast is outstanding. We wanted to save money but stay in a great location and were very pleasantly suprised by the quality of Hotel Centrale.

We all truly enjoyed our stay at this hotel -would recommend it to anyone going to Bologna!

This hotel exceeded my expectations overall. The breakfast was quite good and the rooms were clean. The public areas, including the rooms for breakfast, the front desk, the elevator up, and the front door were all very pleasant, and in some cases quite impressive. I rented two rooms, and while my bed was very comfortable, my daughter complained that the springs were sticking up in her bed. Also note that the hotel is more like 2.0/2.5 kilometres from the train station, rather than the 1 kilometre stated. We took a taxi both ways. The hotel is in a very good part of town, and close to the city square.

Very convenient location, close to central Piazza Maggiore, but in a quiet spot. Breakfast only adequate -- more variety would have been nicer.

An excellent quality/price ratio. Hotel in the center of the historic city. Delicious typical italian breakfast. The best way for a stay of four days in Bologna.

Well located at the centre of the city, and not expensive. But the noise of people and traffic from the streets outside at night was disturbing. Excellent restaurant nearby (Taverna dei Lords), but do ask for the day's specials.

Hotel Centrale is a modest and affordable choice in a great location. The staff was helpful & friendly, the room was clean, breakfast was fine. The hotel is on a major, city street so some noise is expected. I recommend Hotel Centrale, especially for its location.

Very helpful staff. Made our arrangements to get to airport at 05:00. Loud street out our window. Very central location, on Uga Bassi.

A bit hard to find , had old type lift up to hotel ,room great view large size,in walking distance of every thing center of old town,will stay again,staff great,

Great location, but upon arrival we had difficulties to find a hotel which is on the 3 floor . The room was very noisy ( on the street side) , the sink in the bathroom broken and the foors creaking above us. Otherwise the price vs. quality was ok .At the breakfast people were friendly , but at the desk sometimes not at all. I'd go back there for a budget travel.

Excellent location for visiting downtown historic Bologna! Friendly and hepful staff.

The room was very big,clean,and central,over looking the street shuold have asked for a back room but good for 3 stars

We had a very nice stay at the Albergo Centrale in Bologna. The staff was, for the most part, pleasant and helpful. There was a slight mix-up regarding our reservation, but the problem was eventually solved once we talked to the owner who was quite helpful.

The hotel is in a very convenient central location, room was clean and comfortable and breakfast was adequate. The only problem at the time of my stay was that there were some building works taking place including to the lift so that to get in one had to go up the lift next door, across the top floor and come down again by the stairs.

The service was very friedly and useful. E.g. we were intructed about train time tables to Venice and the buss to the stacion. Also they called to the airport about our missing bag arrival to the hotel. The breakfast was very nice, especially if you like sweet rolls etc. Our room was spacious and clean and had a view to the roofs of city center. The construction work earlier guests complained is finished and no such noice existed any more.

It's a very good 2 stars, clean, nice and very close to piazza maggiore, just 5 minutes walking. Breakfast is quite rich and lasts longer than other hotels (from 7.30 till 10.30am). I would undoubtfully chose hotel centrale again.

The location is perfect (right to piazza Maggiore). The owner and his daughter were really helpful. I would definitally recommend this hotel

I stayed in a single room at Albergo Centrale for three nights, and would recommend it to anyone, especially if,like I was,you're making your first vist to Bologna. The hotel is as central as central gets! It's in the process of refurbishment at present, but at no time did this inconvenience me or any other guest. English builders, please take note! If you don't know Bologna,change your future Italian itinerary IMMEDIATELY to include it. And there's nowhere better to start than the Albergo Centrale, which is exactly 6 Euros from the railway station, and after three days you too will know how to get the 25 bus to the station for just 1 Euro. And DON'T miss the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna: it is a breathtaking collection of northern Italian painting - and I think there weren't more than a dozen other people there, so you could actually spend some time with each picture. Look out for the pictures by Elisabetta Sirani (1638 - 65) and Lavinia Fontana (1552 - 1614): I bet you didn'ty know there were first rate women painters as long ago as that (I didn't); their pictures are wonderful. Also the three Carracci brothers: this is unquestionably the most important collection of their paintings. And give my love to Ristorante Il Saraceno in Via Calcavinazzi (a stone's throw from Albergo Centrale)with great food and lovely waiters from Amalfi, would you believe? Go to Bologna and you'll have a wonderful time, and with a base like the Albergo Centrale, you're off to a flying start!

Nicely furnished and spotlessly clean. Great location. Good breakfasts. Building works continuing but I was not disturbed and the lift is new and efficient.

The first night we had a room facing Ugo Bassi, and that was very noisy! But we were offered a new room the very next day, and the rest of the stay was great. The staff at the front desk were very helpful and nice. The location is excellent as well - two steps from Piazza Maggiore. We would certainly stay here agaain.

Building in restoration, but soon will be finished. rooms at streetside a little noisy. good position direct in center.

Very happy with hotel. Room was quiet and had an air conditioner. Beds were comfortable. Breakfast was standard Italian roll/croisant and cappacino, but good. A littl trick to get to, since there isn't a map online. But could walk from the train station in minutes or take a bus. Close to many attractions.

Semplice, accogliente, pulito, molto vicino al centro, ben servito dai mezzi pubblici.

I read the comments on the website before booking, and so was forewarned about the works, which was great, because I knew exactly what to expect. The room was extremely clean and the bathroom was of a good standard - a strong shower and plenty of hot water. Although the centrale only has two stars, I think it deserves three - I stayed the next night at a 3 star hotel in Pisa, which was dreadful, much worse than the Centrale. Overall, I would definitely stay there again, for its location, cleanliness and good prices. Thanks a lot to the people who reviewed this hotel before me, they were very accurate in their comments.

I wish the hotel had warned us they were still under construction (it was supposed to be finished in July; we arrived in September). In addition to being difficult to find (due to an alternate entrance in a back alley during the construction) they seemed to be located in an abandoned building. Trying to find the hotel "hidden" in a seemingly empty building full of bricks, concrete and tools was like something out of a horror movie. However, once you arrived the hotel was quite lovely and the staff couldn't have been more pleasant.

We were only here for 1 night. It was difficult to carry our luggage from the train station and then up 3 flights of stairs because the hotel was under major renovations. The hotel was nice once you were in your room, the outside was extremely dusty, and dirty. The employees were nice, breakfast was fine, and the rooms were clean.

Hotel très bien placé, à quelques minutes à pied de la gare et du centre. Notre chambre avait une grande terrasse. Petit-déjeuner correct, sans plus.

My only complaint about this hotel is that the building that houses it is currently under serious renovation. The actual hotel itself was in perfect order it was just the building lobby and semi-convoluted path to the 4th floor hotel that took you through the renovation areas. I still highly recommend the hotel, and the city of Bologna. My family and I look forward to returning and can't wait to stay at Hotel Centrale again.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. There were works going on in the building, so once those have been completed I am sure it will all be much quieter. There could have been a lounge area for general relaxing, playing cards etc.

Staff were very gentle and helpful .Location is ideal .

It should be noted that this hotel was in the midst of an extreme renovation. We were dropped off by taxi at the front door and were then escorted around the corner to a separate entrance with a lift. It seems the lift in the original entry is being replaced. This would not be a problem, but you had to go up to the sixth floor by lift, get off and descend the two flights of stairs, dragging your bags back down to the fourth floor and afterwards manuever them through several corridors to the reception. This was somewhat like a maze since there were signs only in Italian. They did have a young man helping people with their luggage, but since there were 7 people trying to get their luggage up the stairways and get checked in, we had to use the stairs while carrying our own bags unless we were willing to wait in the heat with them for assistance. The reception was friendly and efficient. We had a small balcony in the room, but it was covered over with scaffolding, so our view was obstructed. Although this is not the fault of the hotel or of Venere, it would be of service to other customers if this was published when making reservations. Forewarned is forearmed. If we knew of the renovations, we could have been more prepared or could have made other arrangements. All in all the stay was acceptable, but not worth the price, under the circumstances. A partial refund should be made in our opinion.

This could have been an ok hotel but they gave us no notice of being under reconstruction .. the elevator was condemned and we had to walk up 6 flights to the reception desk .. there was another elevator but that was in another building (back door and was up 8 floors and down 2) ... poor communication and unresponsive to coditions .. woman at the desk was more interested in her soap operas

The entire building is under construction. You have to go through a serious maze to get to the hotel and you cannot see out of the windows and the AC did not work. Nice staff.

Three nights, doublebed room

Ideal if you only need a room to sleep in after an exhausting day, the position in the centre of town is fantastic!!

Very very excellent

We took a taxi from the train station to the hotel, which was probably a wise decision - it would have been hard to locate otherwise, being on a side street. The exterior of the building was currently under construction therefore did not expect to see scaffolding in front of the building. Luckily, the manager of the building saw us enter and came to meet us in the lobby, assisted us with the elevator (an old style elevator with an iron door which must be opened, then you open the two elevator doors manually, step in, close them and go up to third floor). I'm not sure if we would have found the hotel ourselves, since the reception area was on the third floor of the building. The first two floors are occupied by other businesses. (No sign on the front of the building - listed on building intercom directory only. However, the manager(?) must have seen us in the lobby and was very helpful getting us up to the third floor, rather than having to take the stairs. Our room was located on the 4th floor, accessible only by stairs. The room itself was large, with a large bathroom. The only extra included with the room was a hair dryer and kleenex. No continental breakfast, or coffee, fridge, or safe in the room. However, the room was clean and was a very central location. The night before leaving we asked about getting a taxi the next morning to the airport. The clerk at the desk said there would be no problem phoning in the morning for us. However, the next morning we asked for a taxi and the clerk was unable to get one due to a huge farming convention in the city. We waited at least 20 minutes, then ran to catch a bus to the airport (a 45 min. ride). Luckily we left lots of time to get to the airport. Overall, it was a nice hotel room. Due to the fact the elevator was not always accessible and not all services were included for this price, we would probably not reserve here again.

The location is ideal. Close to all the major sites. And a great place to sleep between meals. Furnishings are functional, our room was sufficient but would not be called spacious. Bathrooms are larger than many (you can drop the soap in the shower and easily pick it up again without having to step out)and very clean. Our first room might have been a little noisy, so the staff immediately moved us to a truly quiet room. Multi-lingual staff was most helpful, both in Bologna and in helping us to travel to Modena and Ravenna. The breakfast is continental, quite pleasant, and they do make a terrific cappucino. In the area, if you can go to only one restaurant, make it Caminetto d'Oro. Then, perhaps the best lasgna in the world (plus stinco, roast pork shank)will be found at Trattoria Anna Maria. These guys at the hotel love to discuss restaurants and provided some "off the radar" suggestions (Rodrigo, da Nello, da Bertino and i Gaetano) that proved to be great experiences in local cuisine. Would definitely stay again.

The location was perfect, an especially great value considering some of the rates we saw when researching. The staff was helpful and courteous.

Recently renovated with everything in perfect working order. The view from the room was fantastic. Don't expect anything more than a two-star, however, despite the four-star price.

The hotel is well situated in the middle of the old centre. The only real disadvantage: The hotel had promissed us a quiet room with twin beds, but they first tried to give us a "matrimonium"-one and though the room no 25 we finally got was nice, it was very loud because of the street Ugo Bassi beneath.

Endlich mal ein hotel mit gutem preis. super zentral mitten im geschehen . garage ums eck . sehr nette leute die das für italienische verhältnisse super leckere frühstück servieren . da muss man wieder hin . übrigens laut ist es über all in den italienischen altstädten !!!!