Stayed at the Hotel Dei Giardini in October for a week. I travel frequently on business, so my comments reflect my preferences for no-frills "institutional" business-class hotels (e.g. Holiday Inn Express, IBIS,...)

Pluses: Large old villa, well-refurbished, attractive gardens. Decent sized room with openable window. Work table for laptop/paperwork. Clothes closet has real hangers and a door which closes, so clothes do not pick up ambient smells. Allowed early check-in and provided complimentary tea/coffee while waiting.

Minuses: Breakfast "buffet" surprisingly sparse and always unreplenished. Seems to have a shortage of staff. Room has two separate (narrow) twin beds. No in-room WiFi or ADSL as stated in website. Bathroom dark without shelf space for toiletries. Only one power plug in entire room. HVAC controls were a mystery; Italian colleague couldnt figure out controls in his room, and kept complaining to front desk that room was too... more