Hotel Gardenia Sorrento, Ascend Hotel Collection

The hotel in Sorrento boasts varied, high-quality breakfast, clean facilities, central location, professional staff, well-equipped pool area, and spacious, comfortable rooms with stunning views. Busy street noise may be an issue.

Friendliness is what distinguishes this hotel from others. We stayed in the hotel for 2 weeks, yes, 2 weeks as we used Sorrento as a base to explore Pompei, Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Naples, etc. as well as some off days where we just used the pool to relax and recharge. And we started every single day with very high quality breakfast served by the friendly people. We booked the two week stay in 4 or 5 separate reservations, as we couldn't find availability of the same room type for the entire two weeks, and expected to need to change rooms every couple days. But when checking in, Antonio told us they already noticed our multiple reservations, and worked to combine them on the backend and we would only need to switch room once. We were certainly very appreciative of their efforts even before we set foot in the hotel. And we enjoyed both rooms we stayed, the first one was a bigger room facing the main road but noise was not really an issue with the door closed. And the second one faced the swimming pool and provided a very relaxing vibe. Housekeeping worked hard to keep the rooms sparkling clean everyday. And while we certainly loved the Italian food in the nearby restaurants, on the days we wanted something different, the Thai restaurant across from the street serves very authentic Pad Krapow.

Unfortunately, our experience at Hotel Gardenia was overshadowed by poor hospitality and maintenance issues. The staff, particularly the evening and night shift concierges, displayed unprofessional and rude behavior throughout our stay. On our first night, the older male concierge working the evening shift was dismissive and unfriendly when we asked where to buy water. Although we couldn’t understand everything he said to another employee, it was clear from his tone and demeanor that he cursed at us. The second night, a woman at the front desk was even worse. Neither of them gave their names. When we arrived with a pizza to enjoy on our room’s balcony—furnished with chairs and a table—she abruptly stopped us and yelled that eating in the rooms was not allowed. She went as far as to claim that we would make the room dirty and stain the linens, effectively prohibiting us from even entering the hotel with the pizza. This was an outrageous and insulting attitude toward guests who were paying for the room and service. Her behavior was beyond rude and completely unprofessional, leaving us feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable. Additionally, the room had significant maintenance issues. The shower drainage was blocked, forcing me to stop midway through my shower and wait nearly five minutes for the water to drain to avoid it overflowing. Standing in the cold while waiting for the water to clear was extremely unpleasant. To make matters worse, there was visible mold on the shower glass where it joins with the floor and at the top. We have pictures to document these issues, which raise serious concerns about the cleanliness and upkeep of the facilities. While the hotel appears clean at first glance, these maintenance problems and the unfriendly, unprofessional staff made our stay extremely disappointing. If you value proper hospitality, functional amenities, and a welcoming environment, I HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND this place. Poor service, rude staff, and lack of proper maintenance completely overshadow any positives this hotel might have.