When I arrived, I thought the hotel was a bit basic - rooms clean but small. Same for bathroom. No elevator. I even looked up "boutique hotel" to see what it meant. But after 2 nights there I was charmed. Staff were SO nice and helpful, water was free, continental-type breakfast so fresh that I loved it. Excellent coffee too. It really IS a boutique hotel!

I stayed at Hotel Cervetta with my husband and son for 4 days. The hotel is quite modest but very clean and central. The staff were amazing. My Italian is not great but they did the best they could to help out with anything we needed. The breakfasts were great. Fruit, pastries, cereal and coffee. Very nice. I recommend the hot chocolate. The Hotel was really close to the main square and ideal for walking the old section of Modena. I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend the restaurant Stag next door.

Very good value hotel.

Great location right in the middle of the old town and nicely remodeled (modern) boutique hotel. Rooms were comfortable and clean, though the bed and bedding was a bit thin/hard for the average North American (something we find most places in Europe). The secure parking was convenient as we had a bunch of luggage (scuba gear) we didn't want to have to take out of the car. The staff were really great - welcoming and eager to provide help we asked for (like printing stuff for us or later check out), as well as thoughtful details we didn't think to ask for (gelato recommendations and offering us bottles of water for our trip on our way out). Obviously if you're looking for 5-star luxury you will be disappointed but if you want a clean, comfortable and attractive room in an excellent location with friendly and welcoming staff, then I highly recommend this hotel. It is excellent value for your money.

This hotel is far more basic than it may appear from the many enthusiastic reviews. The services and facilities are really quite limited:
• The hotel has no elevator--so be prepared to climb stairs.
• The hotel has no air conditioning—so prepared to be hot—very hot if your room window opens onto the central air shaft.
• The staff (at least those we encountered) speaks no English—so be prepared to practice your Italian.
• The hotel has no international television—so be prepared to practice your Italian some more.
The hotel does have good features: the location is very central, the monolingual staff is very friendly, and the breakfast is good. The limited services and faculties would be fine if the hotel was cheap, but it is not. Cervetta 5 was the second most expensive hotel we stayed in two weeks in Italy—and the other hotels had far more to offer their guests. It is certainly over-priced by the standards of the Emilia-Romagna and Modena. Nevertheless, the Cervetta 5 is probably a good choice for Modena simply because of the location.