Art Hotel Commercianti

“This is the best location”

We are sad to be checking out of the hotel this morning after 6 days. It is impossible to have a better location - at Piazza Maggiore but behind the Basilica where it is a little more quiet. I won't repeat the many, many positive comments (they are all true) except to say this was the best breakfa… more

We are sad to be checking out of the hotel this morning after 6 days. It is impossible to have a better location - at Piazza Maggiore but behind the Basilica where it is a little more quiet. I won't repeat the many, many positive comments (they are all true) except to say this was the best breakfast buffet we have had in Italy. There are some comments about noise. You have selected a hotel at The Piazza where all the city meets to socialize, talk, laugh, sing and even shout. Rowdy students find their way home after a night with their friends. Street sweepers and garbage trucks work in the night so everything is perfect for you again when you step out your door in the morning. And the bell tower of the Basilica is so close you can almost touch it from your terrace, so you will hear bells. This is all the charm, and the price you pay, to be at the center of the heart of this amazing medieval city just steps from everything you want to see and do. We stayed in room 312. It is snug but comfortable, with (fractionally) the largest terrace and it is the only terrace room with a window in the bathroom. Even the hotel receptionist said it was her favorite.

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“Run don’t walk to this gem”

Art Hotel Commercianti was our home base and somehow managed to feel both charmingly historic and wildly convenient at the same time. Location You truly cannot beat it. The hotel sits just off Piazza Maggiore — as in, step outside and you’re there. The Quadrilatero is around the corner, which mean… more

Art Hotel Commercianti was our home base and somehow managed to feel both charmingly historic and wildly convenient at the same time. Location You truly cannot beat it. The hotel sits just off Piazza Maggiore — as in, step outside and you’re there. The Quadrilatero is around the corner, which means you’re dangerously close to cheese, prosciutto, and every beautiful alley you hoped Bologna would have. It felt like staying in the beating heart of the city — not visiting it. The Rooms Every room is different, which I love. No cookie-cutter beige box situation here. Ours was thoughtfully designed to maximize space (because yes, European hotel rooms can be cozy). My stepdaughter and I were able to spread out comfortably, and there was even a little table with booth-style seating — a small detail that made a big difference. We could have coffee like civilized people instead of perching on the edge of the bed. The bathroom was modern and surprisingly spacious, stocked with the kind of amenities that sometimes get “forgotten” elsewhere (hello, conditioner and lotion — we see you and appreciate you). Breakfast The breakfast spread was substantial enough to power a full day of wandering. A mix of sweet pastries, cold cuts, eggs, bacon (for the Americans who need a little familiarity), and made-to-order cappuccino and espresso. They even had American drip coffee, which felt like a thoughtful nod to those of us who straddle two caffeine cultures. The Staff Warm, welcoming, and genuinely helpful. I was handed a map upon arrival along with thoughtful recommendations — not the generic kind, but the “we actually live here and want you to love it” kind. They were patient with questions, quick with suggestions, and somehow always appeared exactly when we needed help. It felt less like checking into a hotel and more like being looked after. The Decor I have a soft spot for a design-forward hotel, and this one delivers. Each room has its own personality, and the common areas are beautifully styled without trying too hard. It feels curated, not staged. The mix of historic architecture and artistic details gives it character without feeling precious — elegant, but still comfortable enough to actually live in. Next time I’m in Bologna, there won’t be a debate. This is the hotel.

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“Great little hotel.”

I am a tough reviewer. Looking at our stay over all, it was very satisfactory. Location of course is always important, ant the Art couldn't be better located, central in the old town, with restaurants and activity galore. The rooms are comfortable, ours was decent sized, and the bathroom had a grea… more

I am a tough reviewer. Looking at our stay over all, it was very satisfactory. Location of course is always important, ant the Art couldn't be better located, central in the old town, with restaurants and activity galore. The rooms are comfortable, ours was decent sized, and the bathroom had a great shower. The entire staff were most cordial and helpful. The breakfast was predictable. The big question would always be, would we stay here again, and our answer is absolutely.

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“Abysmal Service, Small Rooms, Good Breakfast, Prime Location”

Bad service can make a four-star hotel feel like a two-star hotel. That was our experience at the Art Hotel Commercianti. The desk staff was consistently indifferent and unhelpful. When we checked in, the staff member barely made eye contact. His colleague, a younger man with dark curly hair … more

Bad service can make a four-star hotel feel like a two-star hotel. That was our experience at the Art Hotel Commercianti. The desk staff was consistently indifferent and unhelpful. When we checked in, the staff member barely made eye contact. His colleague, a younger man with dark curly hair went out of his way to avoid acknowledging us during our three-night stay. When we returned to the hotel after a day in Bologna, this man simply looked away when we offered a "Bon giorno" greeting. When I read that a well-publicized rail strike would threaten our planned excursion to Modena, I asked the desk attendant the afternoon before we were scheduled to go if the train was cancelled. He glanced at his computer screen and said, "We don't know". Confused by his response, I immediately walked to the train station. The attendant there immediately confirmed that the local trains would not be running on the day of our planned excursion. Why was staff at the hotel so uninformed? On the day were scheduled to check out, we approached a desk attendant to call a cab for us. His slovenly appearance was off-putting. When we had packed up and headed downstairs, another desk attendant ( the one we had at check in) did not ask if we enjoyed our stay. He simply collected our tourist tax and handed me a receipt. I then mentioned that the hotel had called a cab for us, and asked if he would keep an eye out for the cab so my wife and I could have a quick cup of tea and a couple of pastries in the adjacent lounge area. He responded by mumbling something non-committal. We wolfed down our breakfast so we could stand outside and look for the cab ourselves. By contrast, when we stayed at our hotel in Milan (The Lancaster), we had called a taxi through Uber. When Uber's taxi service twice cancelled our pickup, we were worried that might miss our dinner reservation. The desk attendant at the Lancaster noticed that we had been standing outside for some time and asked if we needed assistance. He promptly ordered a cab for us, and handed me a slip with the estimated time the cab would arrive, the taxi number and the make and model of the cab. He was so attuned to what was going on with the guests that he noticed that we were having difficulties and stepped in to solve them. The service at the three-star Hotel Lancaster put the four-star Hotel Commercianti to shame. The bad service continued in the breakfast room. When we arrived, we were immediately asked for our room number and what we wanted to drink. Because the breakfast staff did not seat us first and then take our breakfast order, there was a delay each day while the staff tried to find our table and deliver our drinks. On the first day, I asked a server to bring me some warmed milk for my tea. 15 minutes later, the milk had not arrived. I finally gave up and got the cold milk placed next to the cereal. In contrast, at The Lancaster we were greeted and seated before drink orders were taken and our drinks were delivered promptly. What a contrast. Staff in the breakfast room did not attend to cleanliness. I picked up a glass to pour myself and orange juice and found a large spot on the glass that felt sticky. Staff was slow to replace the empty fruit bowl one day. The next day, they were slow to replenish the scrambled eggs and bacon. On the positive side, the breakfast spread was very plentiful and included some delicious pastries. Housekeeping did not replace the tea biscuits we ate with our tea when the room was cleaned the following day. I suppose two biscuits were expected to last us three days. We had a superior room with a terrace on the third floor. It was well decorated and included beautiful murals on the walls. However, it was quite small. My wife and I each brought a small, wheeled suitcase and small backpack. We had to ask for a second luggage rack. I put one backpack on a closet shelf, but there was nowhere to put the other one except on one of the bench seats in the room. So one of us had to sit on the bed when were both sitting down. To be fair, the hotel is in a great location adjacent to the Basilica of San Petronio. This was convenient location near many of the city's best sights. There was no fitness room. As a four-star property, we had hoped to have access to one. Our four-star hotel in Chur Switzerland had a very clean, well-equipped fitness room. The hotel had a mini-bar. I would expect to pay for wine, beer or soft drinks. But the Art Hotel Commercianti expected us to pay for bottled water. All of the other hotels at which we stayed during our two-week trip provided complimentary bottled water (both sparkling and still) in the room. We booked our hotel many months in advance, and we paid almost $450.00 per night. At those prices, we would have expected better. We will not return.

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