My partner and I and our two dear friends stayed at the Zanhotel il Canale in Bologna. The customer service (especially Giovanna) was very good. The hotel's location is a bit out of the way but you'll find yourself at the train station in minutes or major sites after a good walk. The rooms are small, the beds are very firm as were the pillows. Breakfast was above average, the coffee machine seems standard nowadays. If you find yourself in the room facing the alley/street...make sure to ask for another room otherwise you'll have to deal with noise from students and customers of the local adult store. Would we stay there again? Probably not, but it wasn't a bad place to stay for a couple of nights.

I had visited this hotel a few years ago and I really liked it so on my last visit to Bologna I decided to stay there. The hotel is ok, but it really needs some maintainence, the carpet is not as fresh as it used to be for instance. Our room had a nice view, but it was really dark even during the day time and our bathroom was not very nice (we had the handicap room). The breakfast is mediocre; however the location is very good, just in the centre but in a quite street.

We sayed here for four nights. The location is perfect, it's a 7 minute walk to the center of the city and the hotel is surrounded with very nice restaurants. If you like to stay in small hotels then this one is perfect and for a reasonable price. Service is excellent and you can get a lot of information about what to do in the city. You don't even notice the sex shop on the corner. On the opposite of that there is a fruit juice bar where you can buy fresh mixed juices, very nice and worth trying it.
Reason why we give 'very good' and not 'excellent' is because of the noise of the people walking back to their houses during the night. In the small streets is sounds a bit loud and if you want to sleep with the window open, this might be anoying. This is not someting the hotel can change but as a customer you have to realize this.
We will go back to this hotel or maybe to the Regina, which is 3 minutes walk from this hotel (same chain).

Location is just a few blocks from Piazza Maggiore, within walking distance from the train station if you don't have too much luggage (or a cheap cab ride). Desk clerk was very helpful, even pointed out that the 5 of us could save money hiring a cab to take us to the airport rather than taking the Aerobus from the train station (it worked - cab fare was 25 euros with tip vs. 30 for the Aerobus at 6 euros each).. Breakfast was included and very tasty, and served until 10:30, so you don't need to be up at the crack of dawn to get it. If you're feeling romantic, you can pick up all sorts of interesting things at the sex shop next door. No worries, the neighborhood is perfectly safe. Nice little open air courtyard inside the hotel.