Palace Hotel, Merano, Italy (July 2006)

The Palace Hotel is a very grand building indeed, conveniently located in the centre of the town but with a beautiful park and gardens. Although without quite the style of, say, Baden-Baden, Merano does have some very fine buildings, a beautiful old quarter with rows of arcaded shops, and an incomparable Alpine location.

Public areas are spacious, grandiose and sumptuously furnished. Unlike many old grand hotels, the Palace is not run down, nor do the owners appear to have surrendered to low budget, mass tourism. Unfortunately the beds in the room we were first allocated were old (wooden antique) and very hard, emitting a variety of squeaks and other noises, whenever the occupant turned over in the night, rendering sleep almost impossible! We moved to a different room the following morning, but conversation with the domestic staff showed that the problem was well known.

Both rooms were spacious; while the first room had traditional furniture and a polished wood floor, the second had been refurbished and was very well appointed, with top quality fittings and refinements, including electrically operated shutters and awning. We strongly recommend asking for a room at the back of the hotel, overlooking the garden. Rooms there are mostly significantly larger than those at the front and all have balconies. They are well worth the modest extra price (+40 Euros in July 2006}. There is an excellent part indoor/part outdoor pool and lavish spa facilities.

Unfortunately, the Palace is let down by aspects of the food and service. Dead flies floated on the pool for the first 2 days of our stay. There was no information in the room re opening times of the spa. When we visited spa reception to ask what facilities were available for guests not taking the Kur we received a puzzled stare. Kur guests clearly had priority and took breakfast on the dining room balcony, whereas we ate in the garden. Breakfast, served outdoors as the weather was good, was only a slight improvement on the usual perfunctory Italian experience, with plastic sachets of butter, individual pots of preserves and a modest selection of cold meats, cheese and bread. When by the pool no one came round to ask if we would like any drinks or refreshments. Service was impersonal and, in the case of some members of staff, lacking in warmth and friendliness. We overheard one of the receptionists being distinctly rude to another guest.

A local resident told us that the hotel was recently sold by the owners, who were in financial difficulties, and acquired by a firm who proceeded to get rid of the old staff. If this is correct, it might well account for some of the problems we observed.

We did not eat in the hotel apart from breakfast, but the restaurant has 15 points in Gault Millau.

In summary, wonderful location, magnificent building and excellent facilities. If management can get the service up to scratch and provide a proper 5 star breakfast, it will be possible to recommend it more wholeheartedly.