Hotel Montecatini Palace in Montecatini-Terme

We booked two superior double rooms directly with the hotel, for four nights as part of our tour around Tuscany. I communicated with the hotel beforehand to ask the room our teenagers were staying in be set up as a twin. When we arrived the twin room was of significantly better standard and size than our double superior room - we paid the same price for each room. Welcome treats had been left in the twin including a bottle of alcohol, the complimentary water which was part of the booking and fully stocked toiletries. These were all missing from the second double room we booked. I queried this twice with reception with no solution from the receptionist. The water in our room we had to ask for everyday and the hotel tried to charge for it on checkout, even though we should have two bottles in each room complimentary every day. The toiletries were still missing for all stay in our room. I then tried to send an email during the stay to ask why the rooms were so different. This was not responded to until two days after we had checked out. It turns out that our children’s room had been upgraded to a junior suite and this had not been communicated with us in check in. While We appreciate the upgrade and had we been told during our stay, it would have avoided any confusion or need to complain when we’re trying to relax! My issue here is the poor communication from reception staff and management. This was then reflected in the attitude of staff who really didn’t seem to want to go out of their way to do anything- this was opposite to our experience in other Italian hotels. I also think a little thought about which room you set up as the double and twin as really you want to upgrade the parents and bill payer rather than teenagers who are not bothered either way. The hotel knew we were a family as I communicated with them before our stay so should have thought about this. I would avoid the restaurant and lunch by the pool as they are over priced for the quality- especially the lunch. The air conditioning was awful which meant we didn’t sleep well it was so hot in the rooms. Balconies on the room are so small not sure it’s was worth it Positives: Pool bar staff were the exception to the staff and worked hard all day in the heat, serving drinks and food, making sure people had sunbeds; the pool was quiet and relaxing with gorgeous views over the mountains. It was easy to get sunbeds. Breakfast was a good selection- typically what you’d expect but nothing special for a 5 star. It’s close to the funicular and Monticatini Alto which is beautiful. Not sure I’d rate this a five star hotel for the lack of service and the attention to detail was simply missing.

This hotel is genuinely a lovely hotel and like all of the others in town, it trades and does good business on Montecatini being a spa town; which it obviously isn’t in 2025. The hotel has a spa in it, like many hotels, but we came to this town to enjoy what its name suggests: Montecatini’s Thermes. Nobody, not even A.I. seems to mention the obvious fact that they’re gone! Closed and boarded up so they are. Imagine Pisa if the tower fell over and was bulldozed away! Why would anyone go? We had no complaints at all with this hotel but honestly, the Italians need to change the road signs and the map and call this place just Montecatini.