We booked a terrace-view room at Palazzo Confalone and extended our stay because we were attending a wedding in Ravello. At around $750 USD per night, we expected a luxury experience. Unfortunately, it turned into one disappointment after another. The first issue was that the hotel charges one night before arrival and the remaining balance at check-in, not checkout. They charged my card for the rest of our stay before telling us that the room we booked didn’t have working air conditioning!! When we were finally shown our room, it felt like a sauna. There was a fan in the room, and we were simply told, “The AC is broken.” It’s July in Italy. Air conditioning is a basic expectation when you’re paying these rates. We spent about 30 minutes trying to resolve the issue, only to be told the hotel was sold out. I asked if we had paid for a room with air conditioning, and the answer was yes. I expected to receive what we paid for… Their solution was to move us to another property next door (about $250 USD a night). We agreed before really looking around, which was our mistake. Once we did, it was immediately obvious it wasn’t comparable. It was outdated, UNCLEAN, and nowhere near the quality expected, despite us paying luxury hotel prices. No partial refund, room credit, or other compensation was offered. When I explained that this wasn’t acceptable, I was told I could find my own accommodations. So I did. I spent an additional $1,200 out of pocket for one night at another hotel. The only reason we returned the next day was because all of the wedding guests were staying at Palazzo Confalone. Otherwise, we would have left completely. We were promised a suite for the remainder of our stay. Instead, we were placed in a dark basement room with no terrace or view—nothing like the room we originally booked. To make matters worse, the room was directly underneath the owner’s apartment! Every night we heard stomping, furniture moving, barking dogs, and constant noise until around 1:00 a.m. Every morning between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., we were woken up by children running overhead! Hotels have problems sometimes, and I understand that. What matters is how they’re handled. What was especially disappointing was that after our stay, the hotel refunded only one night—the very night I wasn’t even staying there because I had to pay $1,200 for another hotel after being told to find my own accommodations. There was no compensation for the downgraded room, losing the terrace we paid for, the sleepless nights, or the overall experience during the rest of our stay. For a hotel that advertises itself as a five-star property, I expected much better customer service and accountability. I hope future guests have a better experience than we did, but based on ours, I would recommend looking at the many other excellent hotels on the Amalfi Coast before booking Palazzo Confalone.
