Zanhotel Il Canale - Bologna

The hotel is well-located for central Bologna and the staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast is limited and of low quality and the price we paid was not value for money (it was the weekend of a trade fair and prices were extortionate even though we were not part of the trade fair). We would return, but only if prices were lower.

Zanhotel Il Canale was in a great location for one that is used to travelling in Europe. If you're a newbie then the dark alley may be a bit unnerving but we picked up on no negative vibes anywhere in the vicinity. Very short walk to the train station and Piazza Maggiore and basically sits on top of the main street (Via Independenza). All staff were great except for one real nasty woman that had no time for us at all. A real miserable character. However the rest of the staff were very friendly and chipper and ready for a chat any time of the day. The rooms with a view of the canal are for 4 people only. Room 31 had a massively stinking bathroom. The canal was drained while we were there. Bologna is an awesome city with lots of options and I'm afraid that I wouldn't advise a stay at Il Canale to my close friends and family.

We booked a room for 2 adults and 1 child. The room was clean and spacious and the spacious bathroom was suitably fitted for aged or disabled guests. A little side room offered views over the Canale which took you centuries back in time. The bigger bedroom itself had no views. Breakfast was basic but sufficient. The hotel location was conveniently located in the old city center of Bologna. The presence of an erotic shop next door did cause some initial concern but no actual grievance.

Very nice hotel, good situation in the town, spacy rooms (I can only speak for double rooms) The only inconvenient was that the breakfast room is in the cellar without windows, only electric lights, but the breakfast is sufficient.

Room was very good value as was the breakfast (except for the coffee). The staff were exceptionally helpful and friendly. Very high quality of cleaning as well. Excellent location near many good restaurants.

i can only speak well, about these hotel, the only minus point is to charge 5 euros per hour for internet conection, these is amazing expensive in these times, were most hotels have it for free, or a very small charge per day.

Very nice Hotel in the middle of medioeval area of Bologna

A friend and I stayed 2 nights at this hotel and it was very lovely. The room and bathroom were spacious, clean and wonderfully decorated. Our room was on the main level facing the street and we were worried their would be noise but the shutters kept out all the sound. The location can seem a bit dodgy at first, it is located down an alley of the main street in Bologna and there is alot of graffiti and a sex shop next door. But in actuality the location turned out to be very safe and just a short walk to the main square and sights of downtown Bologna. The breakfast was very nice and served in the basement in an beautiful room with curved vaulted ceilings. It was an excellent stay for the price. Teh only disappointment was no wireless internet and a charge of 5 euro per hour to use the hotel internet and computer.

hotel was not too far from train station and just off laneway from main city street. quality of hotel room was very good and hotel was within walking distance from most things we wanted to see in our 3 day visit to Bologna.

Hotel is in a great location, really central for access to everything. Good restaurants in the immediate area. Hotel is on a narrow street which is a bit offputting when you first arrive, and then you realise there are lots of narrow streets just like it, in Bologna. Breakfast was good and we were able to have breakfast early on the morning we had to depart (prior to set times). Room was a good size but like a lot of small hotels no real daylight just one small window, but in summer it is unlikely you would have this open anyway due to the heat. Carpets in public area of htoel are a bit tired and could do with being replaced but it was all very clean. Staff friendly and helpful.

I warmly recommend this hotel. Perfect location. Perfect rate price/quality.

We didn't stay at the Canale but were redirected to the Tre Vechi, without explanation, when we arrived at midnight. So this review refrs to that hotel. It was fine. Good breakfast. Room was small but we didn't want to be in the room. Only one bad bit of advice (about which restaurants were open)and otherwise a good experience and good service

The fact that the airconditioning units provided in the roomds were inadequate,part of the group had to be put into another hotel (not a great differce experienced in this regard) this droped the rating drastically.

On our recent trip to Italy we stayed in five different hotels and this was hands-down the best of the lot. Not much to look at from outside and down a narrow street, this hotel is beautifully appointed and very comfortable within. Very pleased with the staff service and breakfast, and definitely had our best sleep in all of Italy here.

Good value for money!

Wide renovated room for very reasonable price

In Italy legislation is forbiden to smoke in the rooms area. There is always very strong tabbaco smell every where and fire alarms in the room was always off. very noise air conditionator.

Friendly staff. Hotel in good position just off main street but nice and quiet.

First of all, the hotel was hard to find, then we needed to find parking. The desk attendant gave us directions to a paid parking garage which was difficult to find with the directions she gave. Took an hour to accomplish this! When we checked out the next morning we were told we never should have parked there, but just outside the hotel were spots for around $10 and we ended up paying $30! Obviously, it was a different person on the desk. The room was bright pink and needs an update (but was nice and big!) The alley where the hotel is located is next to a "sex shop" which we knew, but the entire area was graffiti and dumpsters! Very uninviting. Actually, Bologna was uninviting because of the graffiti and lack of cleanliness - so unlike the rest of Italy that we have seen. We checked out a day early and had no problems from the management, for which we were grateful. I wouldn't return to this hotel or to Bologna.

Staff and facilities of Il Canale were excellent.

Excellent location, however is advertised as 250 metres from railstation - grossly underestimated distance, more like over 1 kilometre!

I stayed in a single room. It was a business trip. There is not avaliability of internet connection in the hotel. No wireless and the internet point did not work. The room was quiet and enough. Without luxury but clean and nice.

A wonderful old house, nice tasteful rooms to a recent price. I would always recommend that house and come back.

The front door of the hotel is right next to an adult store which was a little disconcerting, but the interior of the hotel was very nice. There are rafting rides right behind the hotel which become a little noisy in the early evening. Too bad our room was right by the front door and we could hear people talking whenever someone came into the hotel. The hotel is located on a side street and was a little difficult to find at first. However, our room was elegant and even included a chandelier. The shower is part of the bathroom so the toilet gets wet whenever you shower. There is no stall, just a drain in the corner which tends to allow water to flow easily out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Be careful! The breakfast was excellent and the staff very courteous.

Staff was very friendly (especially night portier),good location, rooms without day light :(

Très bel hôtel, plein centre ville, rapport qualité prix vraiment très bon au mois d'août

Great location. Very central - close to both Piazza Maggiore and railway station. Friendly, competent staff. Small rooms but very clean especially the brand new bathrooms. A very pleasant stay and good value for the price I payed. Thank you.

Hotel was just fine; big room, big bathroom, quiet. don't be put off by the street. Narrow, dirty, and a few X-rated store windows in the neighborhood. but there are terrific restaurants nearby; ask the desk help.

Because the central heating was still on (even though the outside temperature was 27 degrees) it was necessary to have the windows wide open. This was impossible in a tiny ground floor bedroom. Promises of public area outside window being "locked at night" were untrue so one felt insecure. Air conditioner did not work - was told "Bologna municipal authorities had not decreed that heating could be turned off" - patently absurd claim and no excuse for gross discomfort. Someone noisily being sick outside late at night didn't add to pleasure. Booked online 10 weeks earlier but rooms allocated on first night were noisy (right by reception) and very small "due to arrival of group" before us. A price reduction was requested but refused. Altogether an unhappy experience for 83 euros/night rooms.

good hotel , not expansive

The location was very good as it was within a short walking distance of the train station.It was noisy as the garbage trucks picked up the bins early in the morning. The staff were very helpful. Lot's of good restaurants very close to the hotel. I found it fairly expensive for the value.

Excellent value for money. Location a bit peculiar (sex shop nearby) but quiet, central. Room neat, a bit dark and cramped but adequately funrnished, excellent bathroom. Adequate breakfast. Polite staff. I would gladly return if necessary.

Service was excellent. venere internet reservation was not there but hotel was more than accommodating to meet our needs. Lola, Lica and Sergio were the best in making us feel like part of the family. Judy and Kathy from California

The breakfast is very good with excellent coffee!

The hotel is excellent with great staff and an excellent variety of foods for breakfast. The room was a good size with a very large shower room unusual in small italian hotels. It is a perfect location for the short term business traveller or people visiting bologna and then travelling to other parts of Italy. It is within short walking distance of the station but not located too near for noise and the bad area associated with railway stations.It is withing 5 minutes of the main square and cathedral and good restaurants and shops

There is a bus stop right in front of the hotel which was not indicated by Venere. The hotel is well situated with respect to the center and central station but its direct surroundings are a bit gloomy. It is understaffed and the staff at the reception would benefit from being more communicative with vistors.

Lovely decor-spacious room overlooking quaint canal. very romantic (despite sex shop next door!) My 2nd visit to this charming hotel- will definitely return.

Excellent location for the Old Town, also close to main railway station. Hotel was very clean and staff were very helpful. Only stayed for 1 night on business but would not hesitate to return either for business or pleasure

The rooms were very very spacious!! The breakfast was very good. But the Internet point was not free for customers and it was really expensive, and we think that that kind of hotel should offer free internet.

Ottima posizione (centrale), molto pulito e con stanze sobrie. Giudizio generale: molto buono. Alcune stanze sono però davanti al bancone della reception, quindi non c'è molta quiete.

Very central and well located for the train station and all the sights in the central area.

Mid-30's husband and wife. Overall, a very good stay. Keep in mind that not all the rooms are spacious as said in previous reviews; ours had about 2 feet around the bed in the main room. Rooms were extremely clean and quiet, bathrooms were very nice and had all the amenities, breakfast was cozy in the morning. Lighting is such that everything is a quite dark, so if you are a business traveler, you may need to think about that. Employees were always ready to help. Location is very convenient and a short walk to almost anywhere you would like to go. We had a wonderful time.

I booked Zanhotel Il Canale but they put me in Tre Vecchi. I preferred Il Canale.

great location on the main street and a short walk from the train station and the piazza maggiore. decent room and very good sized bathroom. excellent value.

Good location, quiet and clean. Good impression all over, but small and dark room and very simple breakfast room. OK for the price I guess.

Quiet and spacious rooms. Nice location between Central Station and historical center. Lot of restaurants around

room 22 - well situated in the heart of Bologna. good restaurants: Franco Rossi (not far away), Cesari

Hotel is in the centre of Bologna, everything is very close, I stayed there 3 nights.

Hôtel central (juste à côté de la piazza magiore), les chambres sont spacieuses et chaleureuses et l'accueil très sympathique (sauf le dernier jour de notre séjour). Le petit déjeuner est copieux mais la salle du petit déjeuner un peu triste. Un seul désagrément réel: il n'y aucune chambre pourvue d'une baignoire, il n'y a que des cabines de douche. Mis à part ça, vraiment très bon hôtel et à un prix raisonnable pour l'Italie.

Excellent location. Close to centre of town and railway station. Do not forget to eat at Diana, close by.

We arrived in easterholiday and the hotel failed with having the room ready. We had to wait for nearly three hours when we arrived before getting our room. No compensation made for this error, which was rude, as far as I´m concerned.

Nice staying, but be careful: the “garage” mentioned on the facilities list does not mean a reserved parking, but a private parking area 300mt far away, 22€ per day! The receptionist smoked in the hall during night time, and the hall is not huge... But these have been the only two problems in an overall nice, central and quite accommodation.

Just exellens hotel with high service employees, I will come back

Convenient position. Quiet except for when the neighbouring business decided to cut a hole in the wall,on their side,using a jack hammer about six inches away from my head at 8 o` clock in the morning whilst we were still asleep! Warm and comfortable. Bathroom a good size and well lit. Excellent breakfast for Italy. Don`t read anything into the name Il Canale it`s nothing to do with what you see in Venice! All round not at all bad.

Don't be put off by the immediate vicinity of 20 metres around the hotel - it is in a great location and good facilities

This was a difficult hotel to rate. We were in Bologna in early October 06. The good ratings come from the actual hotel we stayed at. The poor ratings come from the reality that the location of the Il Canale was not what we were told to expect. When we arrived, there was no room for us and it was only that the Zan hotels have other properties that we were given a nicer room in a nicer hotel in a better location. The Il Canale was located in a much less desirable part of Bologna and, on arriving, our greeting by the hotel staff was less than courteous and uncaring. Made us wonder if staff do not like working there.

A little gem of an old world hotel. Comfortable accomadations and excellent value.

Can't answer some of the questions because upon our arrival at Il Canale, we were informed that our room had malfunctioning plumbing. Hotel had taken it upon themselves to transfer us to another hotel, the Tre Vecchi. From a *** to a ****. We never saw our Canale room. The Tri Vecchie was very nice. Answers are based on the exceptional service we received at both hotels.

E' insopportabile spendere più di 200 euro per una notte ed essere collocati all'ingresso dell'Hotel evidentemente in una stanza di servizio, affacciata sulla strada. Inoltre, poiché sono partito prima delle 7 l'albergo non era dotato nemmeno di una colazione self service. Una rapina!

The general manager of the hotel is very serviceminded and speaks excellent eng. The rooms etc look much better in real life then in the pictures. A more permanent solution for storing luggage a few hours after check - out would be appreciated. We will definitly come back.

The hotel was very nice, and we had a good view of the canal from our window. I was prepared for the neighborhood by reading other reviews, so the shops nearby didn't surprise me (although they're not too pleasant). I would suggest shampooing the carpets -- they were a bit spotted, and made the place look a little shabby (the walls were also a startling color - very, very dark pink). But it was a fine place to stay.

I would like to advise that due to an error from my side the rooms booked were 2 singles and we were family of 4. The Hotel was fully booked, the lady at the reception desk handled the issue quite professionally and helped to solve the problem and managed to transfer us to another adjacent "Zanhotel" called "Tri Vecchi" which was an excellent choice to which I have marked my comments. I and my family really enjoyed the stay in the Tri Vecchi Hotel for the great hospitality that we were treated with and excellent location in Bologna. My great appreciation to the lady at the reception of "Zanhotel Il Canale" hotel and the staff of the Tri Vecchi Hotel . Also to Venere web site for the accurate, precise information and excellent service offered, I have recommended the site to other friends. Best Regards, SA - Nice shopping area close to the Old city. - First time in the beautiful city of Bologna.

Ours was a short stay of four nights. The hotel is in a great central location and the pictures of the hotel were exactly what we got. The staff were friendly and helpful. Best bits were the shower, the comfy headboards and the ideal location.

You should know that - there is no CNN in TV - there are no drawers or shelves where to put your t-shirts or underwear - boiled eggs where always cold and not boiled in the same morning But we enjoyed our stay anyway. . .

Lovely hotel with a very helpful staff! Difficult to find location. Manager recommended several restaurants and made dinner reservations for us. Great walking location to tour Bologna. Breakfast was light and simple - perfect to start the day.

Convenient location. Quiet despite being right off the main street. Staff gave excellent recommendation on restaurant. Would love to stay there again for the price and location.

molto carino e in ottima posizione

The location of the hotel was good. However, finding the hotel by car was a bit difficult. The rooms and bathroom were very large and clean. The breakfast was excellent.

We only stayed one night at this hotel. We almost did not check in once we saw the place. Right next door is a shop that sells sex merchandise and we were afraid that the neighborhood was poor. After a closer look we decided that this was the only such shop and that the neighborhood was actually ok. The shop was upscale and there was no illicit activities in the area. The hotel was nice inside and was located right off a main street. The room was nice and the bath was ample. It is an easy walk from the train station. We would consider staying there again. The staff was helpful and even attempted to help us with restuarant reservations.

I cancelled my reservation the day before my reservation so do not know the details but I called the hotel and the person who responded could not speak english.

Sono arrivato a Bologna e la mia prenotazione, confermata via web, non era stat registrata all'Hotel Il Canale, costringendomi a dover cambiare hotel e tipo di camera ogni notte. I disagi sono stati notevoli.

The location of Il Canale is great, on a quiet backstreet, less than 5 mins walk from the main Piazza Maggiore. The fact that there is no restaurant is in no way detrimental, as there are excellent cheap places to eat in the immediate vicinity. We had a few problems with our flights, and the lack of English spoken by the hotel staff was a little bit of a problem, but generally they were really welcoming and accomodating. Just take a dictionary! For the price, the rooms were clean and quiet - the bathroom had an excellent shower. I would thoroughly reommend this hotel to anyone visiting Bologna. Excellent location for access to the city, and a quiet, welcoming place that is very reasonably priced.

Location was splendid. The room was really small but so tastefully furnished and decorated that it became a home away from home. The bathroom in contrast was large and the shower was the best I have ever come across. Plenty of good restaurants nearby.

A little gem of a hotel, a very well furnished room and a very good breakfast selection and service. The location is a little off putting being located in a narrow street just off the main avenue and near a sex shop. The area however proved to be quite safe, within close proximity to excellent shopping and restaurants.

The general location is excellent, roughly midway between the railroad station and central square of Bologna and on a quiet side street just off the main connecting thoroughfare. The only drawback is a sex shop next door, but that does not produce any distasteful events (for adults). The rooms were comfortable with very good bathrooms and showers. The only negative is that the carpets could stand cleaning and someone had been smoking in one of the rooms (a non-smoking room). Fortunately, the room aired out within a matter of hours. The breakfast was very good, and the staff, especially in the breakfast room, were friendly and helpful.

We were most dissappointed upon arrival, to be told the hotel had no rooms and we would not be staying there. The reason was due to "water damage" In reading previous reviews bu Venere users, this had happened to others, so I was skeptical. We were booked in at the 'Tre Vecchia" hotel, 50 meters away, and run by the same chain. It was a decent enough hotel, except for the VERY uncomfotable bed! It was however, clean, and in a good location for exploring Bologna. We were still dissappointed not to have stayed at the hotel of our choice.

The bedrooms and bathrooms are spacious and clean, the breakfasts are good and there is no street noise. The location is very good (except for sex shop next door, but this is not a problem). I would recomment this hotel.

The hotel was fully booked when we got there and we were upgraded to apartments. They were very clean and spacious and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We had very little interaction with the staff as a result but any that we did have was very good.

Da das Hotel "Wasserprobleme" hatte, wurden wir problemlos in ein anderes - höherwertiges - Hotel in der Nähe einquartiert (zum gleichen Preis natürlich). Dieses liegt leider an der Hauptstrasse und ist deshalb nachts nicht allzu ruhig. Ansonsten alles bestens.

très très bon hotel, de belles chambres, propres et très agréables. La prochaine fois que je vais à Bologne, j'y retourne !! Very good, this hotel is quiet, next to the center and the rooms are very pretty. Choose this !! la camera e bella e buon mercato. la prima colazione e veramente deliziosa. E molto piacevole.

unfortunately the booked hotel had no rooms when we arrived. We used another hotel of the same group called Europa. But although this hotel "Europa" had 4 stars, the localization was not in central Bologna as we wanted.

The Hotel Il Canale is a simple hotel on a quiet, out of the way street in Bologna. The street itself appears a little seedy with the Paradise and Holiday hotels just up the block and a "Sex It Up" store immediately next door but we had no problems. The room we had was reasonably large but actually had no window. The room was completely decorated in an bright orange color! There was a window in a little hallway leading to the bath, however. Interestingly the window overlooked a quickly moving river (canal?) and the window in the bath looked the opposite direction over the river. The bath self was unusual. It was relatively large but obviously designed for handicap use. The shower was basically a wall mounted handle in one of the room's corners and had no curtain of any type. Since the entire floor and all walls were covered in tile it was water tight but when taking a shower most of the room got wet. We had a difficult time finding the hotel but once there the staff helped us find an on-street parking space for which they sold us a 4 euro/day permit. Without it the public parking is 2 blocks away and 36 euros/day.

Good hotel, a bit corporate perhaps. Try to avoid getting a room towards the street, as the hotel is placed on a very busy road in Bologna. The room we stayed in had double glazing, but because the air conditioning was not good at all we had to keep opening the window at night. Fab breakfast, brilliant staff and on a very central location in the town.

We were not very much amused when the receptionist told us that we would NOT stay in 'Il Canale' but in 'Tre Vecchi' because of reasons that are still unclear to us. 'Tre Vecchi' however is a beautiful 4 star hotel in a noisy part of the city. Unfortunately we had not asked for a non smoker's room. The smell of cigarettes when we entered our room was hardly to bare!! Really terrible! We should have asked for another room immediately, of course, but the room itself was nice, so we thought we could solve the problem by opening a window. However, the smell wouldn't go away, so in the middle of the night we asked for another room, and we were given another one immediately. This room was much smaller, though. Room service was poor - for a 4 star hotel. Breakfast was really great!

Excellent value in a central location.

The amazing thing about Il Canale is how quiet it is, despite its very central location - only about 50m walk to the Aerobus bus-stop half-way along the Via Independenzia between the central squares and the station. The rooms are very clean and comfortable with huge beds and the breakfasts are excellent. We enjoyed out stay there very much.

A very central, clean and well run hotel. Ideal location for exploring Bologna on foot as situated just off the main road through the town. Good sized bedroom. Large bathroom with shower. Recommended.

Very friendly and welcoming staff, good breakfast, good location close to shops, restaurants and major sights. Poor lightening in the room, no lamp at the desk, not comfortable for working.

Excelente ubicación, a 20 m. de la parada del Aerobus en via Independenzia. Personal amable. Desayuno abundante y buen café. La habitación doble, amplia, limpia y tranquila. El baño amplio y con buena ducha. Todo ello, insospechable, por su aspecto desde la calle. Es un lugar al que volveríamos. Buena relación calidad/precio.

Ottimo albergo ben posizionato eccelente qualità delle camere cordialità nel servizio.

Nice hotel, good location. Staff were very helpful. Triple room was nice and big. Breakfast was the nicest on our trip. Only problem was parking. We couldnt find anywhere around the hotel which with a badge from the hotel was €5. We ended up parking in an overnight car park which added €18 on to the cost of the stay.

Exactly as described on the internet comments. Nice place, clean, close to the center with a good relationship between price and quality. Unique defect: the staff I met don't speak english at all.

A terrific hotel exactly in the right place but slightly off the main drag to keep the noise down. Would definitely recommend this hotel and definitely stay there again.

I found this hotel to be excellent value for money and well-located for all the attractions of Bologna and not too far to walk from the station. I was given a lovely room which was both spacious and quiet. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. If I return to Bologna I would definitely stay at this hotel again.

I had some difficulty to find the location of this hotel, but the room I stayed was large and quiet, I would like to stay this hotel if next time will be.

The rooms are lovely, breakfast was superb, but we were told there wasn't a bar unfortunately!

I am fussy about my hotels but this was fantastic - v central and a bargain. Do NOT be put off, when you first arrive, by the shop next door that sells sexy clothes - it has no bearing on the hotel which is first rate!!

Nous aurions souhaité un accueil plus agréable...La chambre, la localisation de l'hotel et ses prestations sont tout à fait satisfaisantes pour le tarif proposé .

Excellent and friendly service in newly redecorated rooms in this small hotel. Our room had only one small window (facing the canal) which made it a bit dark and perhaps claustrophobic, but we didn't mind much.