Over due for a re-do!
My spouse and I stayed at this property in years past and enjoyed it much more then. It's really starting to look rundown and neglected. Our room this time was very small and quite dirty. We tried to check in early but our room wasn't ready. Javier at the desk, was accommodating and checked our bags allowing us to walk the surrounding area unburdened. When we returned and retrieved our luggage and room keys, we opened our door found the room had never been cleaned since the last guest. Javier offered to move us but we opted to wait for the room to be cleaned so that we could stay near our friends. We returned a couple of hours later and found that staff had cleaned our room and delivered our bags for us. While it's picky, I know, white paint in the wrong shade, topped off with a sloppy application, makes everything look cheap and shabby. The 2 inch diameter hole in the wall behind the door didn't help much either. The carpeting was in need of replacement and housekeeping didn't vacuum anything but the small walkway around the room. Under the edges of the bed and under the desk and chair, the debris that welcomed us to the room stayed put throughout our two nights. The mattress was really too firm. The sheets appeared clean and felt crisp and I liked the light-weight duvet. The towels were unbelievably cheap and shed white fuzz balls on everything that came anywhere near them. Management had added air conditioning since our last visit but it didn't work well enough to cool the room. We opened the window which was filthy and enjoyed the sea breeze. We also had a small refrigerator--installed in the side wall about 4 feet off the floor--something of an odd place. While the shower/tub combo is in a fairly good sized room with the toilet, the vanity and sink are at the entrance to the room and had no towels or towel bars in that location. All plumbing fixtures in our room were in need of replacement. Our sink was rusted and chipped and water pressure in the shower was very weak. While we did have a TV in our room, we had no remote control (how did we ever live without these things?) and the front desk said they didn't have one--"maybe housekeeping could provide one the next day." No such luck. I'd rather they ditched the desk, chair and TV cabinet and provide some closet space for hanging clothes instead. As this hotel is located right next to the Amtrak line, you'll need earplugs if you're any kind of a medium to light sleeper. On Sunday morning our friend (an early riser desperately in search of coffee) discovered the the letter "P" from Pensione had actually fallen from the building and shattered on the sidewalk outside. I love the location of this place in the heart of Little Italy but won't be back until they complete a remodel and step up their game. As a boutique hotel I'd recommend they pay attention to all the little details (paint color, cleanliness, fixtures) that make it possible to overlook the size of the rooms and lack of amenities such as a coffee maker in each room or closet space, especially given the price they charged us.