NELLA in Florence

FRAUD WARNING – Avoid this hotel at all costs.

I booked a 2-night stay in Florence through Agoda at Hotel Nella. The Agoda listing included the hotel’s photos, phone number, email address, and full details. I also received a booking confirmation and invoice by email, so everything appeared legitimate.

When I arrived at the hotel around 10 PM, the main entrance was locked. With help from the restaurant next door, I managed to enter the building, but the inner hotel door was also locked. I spent a long time trying to contact the hotel using the numbers provided on Agoda, but nobody answered.

Eventually, another couple arrived and helped me get inside. There were three different phone numbers available, and since I couldn’t make the calls myself, the couple called on my behalf. The woman on the phone said something strange: “Her reservation is for a double room, but she arrived alone, so there is a problem.”

About ten minutes later, a woman rushed to the hotel and claimed that my reservation did not exist. She then told me I had booked a different hotel with a similar name. This made absolutely no sense because the hotel name, photos, phone number, and all the information on Agoda matched the exact hotel I was standing in. I had already seen the inside of the property, so I know for certain it was the same place.

When I asked her to show me the supposed “other hotel,” she could not provide any location or explanation. I also confronted her about why she had said those things on the phone earlier. Instead of helping, she threatened to call the police.

I asked how a hotel with a 9.5 rating and more than 1,100 reviews on Agoda could treat guests this way. After that, she actually called the police, so I left to avoid further trouble.

At night, in cold rainy weather, I was left on the streets of Florence with my suitcase, desperately searching for another hotel. After visiting several places, I finally found another hotel and had to pay again out of pocket.

Do not stay here. This is not only about the money — they may literally leave you stranded outside late at night. I strongly suspect they gave my room to someone else and tried to deceive me.

I will do everything I can to get my money back, but nothing can compensate for the stress, fear, and difficulty I experienced that night.