Best Western Hotel San Donato

We stayed here for two nights and were somewhat underwhelmed. This is as 3 star of a hotel as you can get, contradictory to some of the reviews. The highlights (and only real positives) of the hotel are the location and the front desk staff; right in the heart of the city (Jewish ghetto) near several restaurants and coffee shops, with kind and helpful staff to greet you. We stayed in a standard room that looked like it hadn’t been renovated since the 80’s. Stiff bed with almost no lighting in the room, but we spent very little time there anyway. The room temperature was very hot though, regardless of the thermostat level. We later found out that the hotel turns on the heat during the winter months, and air conditioning was not available. We slept with the window open, but the room still felt like a sauna at times. There are better hotel options for this price in Bologna, but we wanted a central location to be able to get to most places by foot. It’s fine if you’re in town for one night to see the sights, but don’t expect a comfy bed - compare it to other Best Westerns in the US. Overall, a very average hotel (3 stars) that offers a good base location. less

Though tricky to navigate to in the rental car, once there it's difficult to ask for a better location. Walk out the front door and you are straight into an the historic Piazzetta Achille Ardigò. This square is home to Chiesa di San Donato, a church built in 1454. ....It is a further 2 minute walk to reach the centre of activity of the old city - Piazza di Porta Ravegnana with Piazza Maggiore not much further on. Very helpful reception staff who talked us through by phone on how to navigate the tricky lanes and roads to reach their front door. Inside is a fully staffed reception. There are excellent lounges and balcony areas equipped with tables and chairs to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. A bar inside assists with this... Our room also sported a balcony with views of the magnificent "leaning" towers in the city and was very neat, tidy and daily serviced. When we did decide to eat breakfast there, the array of choices and the quality was excellent. All dining staff were also of a high standard. Secure parking is available but costly at €24 per night. The hotel is in an old but fully renovated Italian Palazzo - Palazzo Malvasia which dates to the 13th century. One of the better places we have stayed and can definitely recommend. less

Hotel San Donato is a perfect base to explore this beautiful Italian city. I brought my 84-year old mum on a special trip to visit her uncle’s war grave and we couldn’t have found a better place to stay. The staff are so friendly and helpful and the hotel is spotless. Yes, it can be a little noisy at night, but it’s in the centre of a busy city! Just walking distance to bars, restaurants and the Two Towers, perfect 👌 would highly recommend this amazing city and this lovely hotel 😀 less

This is one of the best hotels price wise i have stayed in. Attention to detail is excellent . Staff are very friendly and cannot do enough for you. Rooms are lovely very very clean. Location is superb very central. Breakfast is delicious . Cannot recommend this hotel enough. Would definately return less

While the view is great, and the website says there is AC, what they fail to mention is that it is SEASONAL AC. The maintenance man advised us that AC is shut off in September since it's supposed to be cold in October. Instead we were offered to open our windows and smell the smoke and hear the loud noise from the patio cantina in front of the hotel. The noise stopped at 3:00am right before we woke up at 4:00am for our flight. Not the best way to spend your final night in Italy. A friendly note: They offer ear plugs in the bathroom Just an FYI. less