Grand Hotel Imperiale

I love this hotel. When browsing the website I really struggled to understand why this wasn’t a 5* but after visiting I now know. We arrived early and our room wasn’t ready which wasn’t a problem at all. The receptionist took our phone number and said she would call when the room was ready. We were then directed to the pool bar which is lovely. The service there wasn’t great that particular day but improved significantly throughout our stay and this was one of our favourite places to eat. The food is a tad pricey but completely worth it. We went for a wonder after eating but the area doesn’t really offer much. There’s no shops nearby and not many pavements to walk on. The water bus is so close though and it’s really convenient! We went to the spa and went straight in for a back massage. The therapists were waiting on hand and this was really relaxing. We called back to reception to see if the room was ready and it was (they must have forgotten to call us). We were directed to our room by the lady on reception who unfortunately had a strong BO problem which wasn’t pleasant. She was lovely though. The room was traditional and I loved it. We opted for the ‘romantic package’ and it was so worth it!!! We got an upgrade and lots of other perks such as a meal for 2 with wine and a bottle of Prosecco of arrival. The bathroom really let the room down. It was in desperate need of replacement. The bath had mould around the edge and a mouldy shower curtain. There was also no extractor fan which could be the reason for the mould. There was also no where to sit and do your make up or your hair, and no plug sockets near any mirrors, this made doing your hair very difficult. The air conditioning was effective but a bit of a health hazard. I felt like it was probably doing more harm than good with all the dirt in it. You are also restricted to bottled drinking water. 1 small bottle between 2 people per day. There was no advice as to whether you could drink the tap water and no nearby shops to buy any from. This meant on hot days you had to raid the dreaded minibar! The room didn’t have an iron or an ironing board. I’m sure if we had called reception they could have arranged this but it was a bit inconvenient when your clothes have been squashed into your suitcase. Surely all travellers require them. On our first evening we went to the bar for a drink. The bar/restaurant only had a few tables occupied and all the staff were stood around near the bar area. We sat for about 10 minutes before we decided to get up to trouble them for a drink. The wine was brought over and we weren’t asked if we wanted anything else for the whole time we were sat. When finishing the wine, we had to go to the bar to trouble them again for the bill. The breakfast is fantastic! Such a good spread and very organised. The service much improved from this point onwards and going for breakfast was a highlight. We enquired about boat rides via concierge and they what’s app’d us a brochure. They also said that they would get the restaurant to call us to arrange a booking but they never got in touch. We called the restaurant ourselves and booked the garden restaurant for our last night and had the taster menu. It’s quite an acquired taste but a great experience and an exceptional setting. On the day we were checking out we ordered a taxi via concierge to arrive for 4pm to take us to the airport. This was more than an Uber would have cost but we required a more reliable service and Ubers aren’t very reliable around Como. At 4.05pm we went to concierge to see if the taxi was on its way as we were panicking about getting to the airport on time. The concierge just said, ‘she’s on her way’ and made a hand gesture as my partner walked away, which I didn’t think was professional. The taxi did arrive just after 4.10pm. It wasn’t the cleanest/tidiest taxi but we were so pleased to see it we just jumped in. I really loved this hotel despite the things I’ve mentioned. I think with minor improvements such as the above this hotel could easily be a 5*. It has all the ingredients but a lack of attention to detail. I would definitely return.

My husband and I recently traveled on a dream vacation to Lake Como Italy. Our trip to Lake Como was an extension of a Viking Rhine River Cruise. We had a lovely room with views of Lake Como. The wonderful staff of Grand Hotel Imperiale went above and beyond to make our stay extra special. One stand-out employee was Andoni. He was friendly, professional, helpful. Andoni made sure that our trip to Lake Como was memorable. The charming village of Moltrasio was a perfect home base to our European Vacation. The quiet, quaint, and beautiful village was filled with friendly people, delicious restaurants, and gorgeous views. Thank you to Andoni and the rest of the Grand Hotel Imperiale for making our trip to paradise incredible.