Room Verona Ai Conti

“Not a hotel, not Airbnb - just 'rooms'”

A new hybrid of accommodation - rooms which are neither hotel nor Airbnb. But does it work? Ai Conto in Verona is very centrally located and the rooms (at least ours) are clean, modern and comfortable. There are no staff that you will ever see. Check-in is totally automated and, though not for tech… more

A new hybrid of accommodation - rooms which are neither hotel nor Airbnb. But does it work? Ai Conto in Verona is very centrally located and the rooms (at least ours) are clean, modern and comfortable. There are no staff that you will ever see. Check-in is totally automated and, though not for technophobe or the faint-hearted, eventually works - though there is huge room for improvement in the process. In fairness to the management, they communicate reasonably well (via email and WhatsApp, natcherly), even if it is in Italian or somewhat clumsy and unconstructed English. But we eventually got in. Room wasn't bad. Had TV, hairdryer, A/C but no fridge and - horror of horrors - NO DRINKING GLASSES. Not even the little plastic ones for washing your teeth. To me, that is not just unacceptable, it is practically a denial of human rights. Any other gripes? Paper thin walls and hard surface floors means the building is very noisy. Could hear somebody in the next room snoring and our neighbours on the top floor singing at 2am. But that's life in hotels (sorry - 'rooms')

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“Lovely room but.....”

This hotel was reasonably priced and in a brilliant location. The room was lovely. But... the self check in process was a bit daunting (especially for an older traveller) and no reception staff was a bit unnerving. Had trouble checking in because I arrived earlier than my husband and the machine wa… more

This hotel was reasonably priced and in a brilliant location. The room was lovely. But... the self check in process was a bit daunting (especially for an older traveller) and no reception staff was a bit unnerving. Had trouble checking in because I arrived earlier than my husband and the machine wanted identity documents of both of us. Took a long string of WhatsApp messages to get me in.

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“Own room in shared apartment”

We booked Verona at the last minute and this was one of the few properties available. There was no communication from them before our stay even though I emailed and texted about our arrival time. At first we walked right past the front door as there is only a small sign by the buzzer. We phoned the… more

We booked Verona at the last minute and this was one of the few properties available. There was no communication from them before our stay even though I emailed and texted about our arrival time. At first we walked right past the front door as there is only a small sign by the buzzer. We phoned the number (they did give us the door code so we could put our bags inside) but couldn't check in until 3pm when a lady came to meet all of us who were waiting. She showed us to our apartment which was across the road. We had a basic double room with en-suite but were quite surprised that it was in an apartment with 2 other couples. There is a shared kitchen area which was handy for making hot drinks. It was adequate for a 1 night stay if you are out and about exploring and not going to spend much time in the room. Make sure you know exactly where you are going when you arrive and don't bother arriving before 3pm to check-in.

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“Put the opera at the Verona Arena on your bucket list”

The good: I was in Verona with my 19 year old daughter to see Aida at the Verona Arena - which is just across the road from Ai Conti. She's more into Example and Eminem but loved it. Parking can be a nightmare in the historical part of the city so we opted for the bus from Malcesine Lake Garda. It … more

The good: I was in Verona with my 19 year old daughter to see Aida at the Verona Arena - which is just across the road from Ai Conti. She's more into Example and Eminem but loved it. Parking can be a nightmare in the historical part of the city so we opted for the bus from Malcesine Lake Garda. It was a two-hour journey - via Riva - to the train station, and an 11 euro taxi ride. Slightly expensive option but given the 50km/h speed limit strictly imposed on the lakeside road the bus was only a slightly slower nut stress and hassle free option. The hotel is tucked away in the labyrinth of street which radiate out like bike spokes and rims from the arena. We got lost so take pictures and make sure you use Google maps. Plenty of local eateries - rather expensive - but go scouting. La Bottega della Gina is a gem of ristorante, tucked away but only a five minute walk from the arena. The not-so-good Air conditioning. Or lack of. It was a sweltering 35.5 in the room and no window to open. The fan was noisy. I couldn't sleep and ended up going for a 4-hout 12 mile walk around the deserted quiet city until the dawn came up, taking nightscape photos. It's also a shared apartment. Bathroom and communal facilities like kitchen. Fellow guest left a pile of dirty crockery which I felt compelled to wash with our own cereal bowls and juice glasses.

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