Principi di Piemonte Sestriere

We recently stayed at Hotel Principe di Piemonte in Sestriere as a large ski group — apparently the largest they had ever hosted at one time. Unfortunately, rather than feeling welcomed, we often felt like an inconvenience, with customer service that fell far short of what one would expect from a 4-star hotel. It quickly became clear that the staff take their cue from management, and the unaccommodating attitude seems to stem from the top down. Barbara, the manager we met on arrival, set the tone for our stay, and her approach likely influenced the unwelcoming atmosphere we experienced throughout. Dining Experience: • Water was not provided at dinner—not even tap water—unless purchased from the hotel. One guest was charged €7 for hot water for tea, despite the spa offering it for free. • Breakfast was underwhelming, with limited hot options: boiled eggs, overly crispy bacon, unappetizing grey sausages in water, watery scrambled eggs, and tasteless beans. A guest who requested porridge (as we had been encouraged to ask for anything not provided) was flatly refused. After purchasing their own from a supermarket, management then complained about outside food being consumed in the dining room. • Dinner service was rushed, with food being cleared away with large trolleys before 8:45 pm, dining room lights dimmed at 8:55 pm, and guests being asked to leave promptly at 9:00 pm — despite service supposedly running until 9:00. Spa & Facilities: • The spa required advance bookings each morning for 2-hour slots. Even when no one else was waiting, guests were forced to leave after exactly 2 hours. • Ski storage was mishandled—we were told we could store skis in the secure luggage room, only to return and find them removed without notice and placed in an unsecured boot room. Customer Service & Group Treatment • Paola, the bar manager, was extremely rude, outright refusing to provide ice for an injury. • Despite arranging a conference room for après-ski activities, noise complaints resulted in multiple activities being cancelled, even though the hotel had agreed to provide the space. All après-ski events were required to be shut down by 11:00 pm. • Our rooms, while clean, were shockingly small, with barely enough space to move, store luggage, or hang wet ski gear. The Few Bright Spots: Not everything was negative — Claudia and Hermala the two lovely ladies in the Wellness Center were exceptionally kind and helpful, and Davide at reception went out of his way to assist with retrieving ski equipment. The shuttle driver was also very accommodating with making sure that people were able to get a ride into town during his working hours. However, their hospitality was the exception, not the rule. Final Verdict: It’s clear that the management’s attitude dictates the poor service and unwelcoming atmosphere at this hotel. Their 4-star rating seems to be based purely on location, not on hospitality or customer service. If you’re looking for a guest-focused

We were made to feel like we were a burden. Never before have I stayed at a hotel and they didn’t even offer water at the table. We asked and were told that they sell the water and they refused to give tap water. The booking included breakfast and dinner, we were told that bringing food and drink including water from outside was not allowed, yet they didn’t do lunch. At breakfast and dinner they started clearing the food away 30mins before the end, they also came and told you that dinner was finished ten minutes before the end and asked you to leave, then they followed it up by turning off the lights while you were still eating. Between the hours of 10am-15.00 when the bar opened there was no way to even get a cup of hot water. The whole experience was something I’ve never experienced before not even in a third world country. One of my group had injured herself on the slopes and they refused to give her some ice from the bar to get the swelling down, not until the wellness staff insisted that the bar staff allowed her it. That said the building itself was nice, the rooms were very clean. Unfortunately they tried to squeeze as much as possible into the rooms, this ment there was no room left to move around and a lack of storage space for your belongings, which ment you lived out of your suitcase. I will add that I never stay at this hotel again. The management were not accommodating. In total contrast most of the staff, including the wellness center staff were very nice. I advise anybody wishing to stay at this hotel to read the reviews and think twice.

Liz G Beautiful location. Welcoming reception especially David very professional. Room cosy and kept clean by housekeeping. However our dining experience was to say the least disappointing certainly for 5 Star. Having a background in catering Principi de Pimento fell way below the level of standard of even Industrial Catering I should know.Our stay was 7 days after Day 3 of bland ,tepid offerings one had to pursue the necessity to eat as the location of the hotel was outside Sestriere. It beggars to believe how the Head Chef of a 5 Star hotel could accept such low standards of quality and imagination come from His/Her kitchen is beyond me ,oh dear really street vendors have a higher standard of cooking than Principi de Piemonte and I go to music festivals where the volume of people is greatly higher .