White Hotel in Vieste

We stayed at the White Hotel in Vieste from August 18th to 24th and, based on the description, were really looking forward to our stay. Unfortunately, reality fell far short of the advertised standard. Even at check-in at 8 pm, the reception was very impersonal and unenthusiastic. On the evening of August 20th, the front office manager, Ms. Silvia, came out to us while we were sitting outside waiting for my cousin. She demonstratively threw a candle into a pot and began shouting at us loudly because my wife had left a negative review. She said, and I quote, "You'll see what you get for this." We found this behavior disrespectful, unprofessional, and even threatening. Instead of handling criticism professionally, we were insulted and intimidated; the evening was ruined for us. We immediately offered to leave the hotel and demanded that she settle everything and refund me for the remaining nights, which she refused to do. So, in effect, we were forced to stay. The facilities also fell short of expectations for a 4-star hotel. Our room (No. 106) was right next to the reception, and from 8:30 a.m. onwards, sleep was impossible due to loud talking and laughter. The bathroom was cramped, the shower walls were broken, and the mattresses were extremely hard and uncomfortable. The room contained only an empty refrigerator; not even water was provided. The area advertised as an "outdoor pool" turned out to be a small, dirty pool, and the loungers were torn and neglected. The spa area was also never open during our stay. Breakfast was of acceptable quality, but completely unprofessional in its organization. Although it was officially offered until noon, by 9:30 a.m. almost everything was gone, and the tables hadn't been cleared. (After my wife wrote the review, the issue was resolved.) We had to ask several times for the buffet to be refilled. One employee was very friendly and even spoke German. On our departure day, August 24th, we checked out at 5:00 AM. The night watchman was very friendly and even made us coffee. Unfortunately, he was completely untrained and didn't know how to handle the billing. I even had to help him correctly record the parking fees. This clearly demonstrates that the problem doesn't lie with the staff, but with management, who apparently prefer yelling at guests to training their personnel. On the positive side, the owner, who was friendly at reception every morning and at least said good morning, the helpful night watchman, the diligent cleaning staff, and the two nice young men in the breakfast room, one of whom even spoke very good German, were all very welcome. Overall, however, our stay was disappointing. The hotel advertises a 4-star standard, which it simply didn't meet.

Doesn't seem a 4* but rather a 2* hotel. The parking they claim they have is a street parking, the beds are lumpy, the staff don't speak English.