Name: Starhotels Excelsior
Address: Viale P. Pietramellara 51, Historic Center, Bologna, Italy, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, IT
Price range: US$147–US$737 per night
Rating: 8.75

What guests think

At Starhotels Excelsior, travelers consistently praise helpful staff, comfortable quiet rooms, generous breakfasts, and the ultra-convenient location opposite Bologna Centrale, while some note dated touches and the station area feeling gritty after dark.

Many guests used it as an easy base for day trips, with a 15–20 minute walk to the historic center. Complaints crop up about seasonal air-conditioning, sporadic hot water, and slow or chaotic check-in. Expect a modern, business-style stay focused on convenience and reliable comfort.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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Facilities

On-site restaurant and bar are appreciated; parking is available but space is limited and fees can be high. The small gym is convenient yet limited, with reports of missing or faulty equipment.

Related guest reviews

10

John

1 May 2023

·

Stayed 5 nights

Not only was it one of the nicest places in town, but not was super close to the train station, and very close to the historical center. The gym was clean and sufficient, the room was comfortable and nice. I recommend it for anyone who has a few days of business or pleasure, or perhaps even an extended stay.

8

Warwick

15 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Food was great, bar was nice. Cleaners were very proffessional and cleaned my room well.

10

Monica

26 May 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hotel was excellent and had everything you would want. Buffet breakfast and gym. Large rooms. Across from train station but felt safe. No noise. Can’t wait to return. Great!

8

Celso A

27 Jun 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The gym was inadequate. No elliptical trainer. A non-functioning treadmill.

10

Charlotte

13 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Friendly staff and excellent service. VERY clean. Rooms and property modern / updated. Close to the train station. Restaurants and shopping convenient. On-site restaurant / bar.

10

Cyntia

1 May 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Great hotel conveniently located across from the train station and within walking distance to the center of town. Spacious room, comfortable bed, good breakfast, on site parking available. Would definitely stay there again.

10

Marie-Anne

6 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Didn't try the breakfast but location was perfect for my needs and the bar tender was great

10

Rogério

1 Mar 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel super bem localizado. Próximo à estação de trem e centro histórico. Bom restaurante e happy hour. Estacionamento pequeno, recomendo reservar. Único ponto é o tamanho do quarto, um pouco pequeno. Mas super vale a pena para alguns dias.

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8

Simon.

26 Nov 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Property good and clean. Staff at check in and throughout excellent. Area ok and well located for centre. Only downside was high cost of parking on top of room

8

Ralf

9 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

Gutes Hotel in unmittelbarer Bahnhofsnähe. Toll um mit dem Zug umliegende Städte zum Sightseeing zu besuchen. Lediglich die Parkgebühren über 25€/Tag auch für Hotelgäste ungewöhnlich hoch.

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness is frequently praised in rooms and public areas. A few guests reported issues such as mold in bathrooms or curtains, smoke odors, or missed restocking.

Related guest reviews

8

Lindsay

19 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 5 nights

The room was very quiet even though it faced onto a fairly busy road - the hotel seems to be well-built. The staff were all very helpful. The only downside was that the minibar fridge was very dirty. They had forgotten to clean it recently.

10

Paul

23 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was very clean and well appointed. The front desk staff were very polite and helpful along with everyone else I came in contact with from housekeeping to security. Location of the property couldn’t be more convenient. Directly across the street from the train station and an easy 10-15 minute walk to all of the restaurants ect.

10

angel

29 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very clean hotel. Close to train station. Breakfast is the best.

8

Helen

15 Apr 2025

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Stayed 3 nights

Overall a nice hotel but lack of ventilation has made the bathroom look moldy. Cleaning was inconsistent with one maid doing an excellent job and the other horrible.

10

Piia

2 Jul 2024

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Stayed 1 night

Great location next to train station, where you can catch trains to many places in Italy and also taxi or train to the Bologna airport. However in the evening the location isn’t very safe - witnessed some drug selling just few steps from hotel entry quite early in the evening and decided to pick up food and eat in the room instead of dining out :( Lobby is nice, but rooms need updating as quite worndown in many places. Bed was very good. Other places of the room were fairly clean but bathroom not. Specially bath tub was disgusting and we had to clean it with wipes before taking a shower. Great location for one night stops like ours before traveling further, but don’t recommend for longer stays.

10

Charlotte

13 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Friendly staff and excellent service. VERY clean. Rooms and property modern / updated. Close to the train station. Restaurants and shopping convenient. On-site restaurant / bar.

10

Silke

27 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel is in a perfect location, immediately across from the train station. Close to the main bus terminal, too. Downtown is in walkable distance. The staff is friedly, and the rooms are clean and quiet. Would stay here again.

6

Stephanie

29 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Stayed in a room with handicapped shower… the curtain was full of mold and stains. Ate at the restaurant but there was an event so waiters were focused on them and not us. We dropped a couple hundred for dinner and felt like we were a nuance. Not ok

4

Akiko

13 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

全体的に掃除が不十分でした。アメニティに清潔感がなく古臭く使えませんでした。安全な水が用意されていません。

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10

Fiona

20 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel room was immaculate & the nicest bathroom I’ve seen.

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Rooms

Rooms are generally spacious, quiet and comfortable with effective soundproofing and good beds, though some feel dated. Recurring complaints concern weak or seasonally disabled air-conditioning and minor maintenance quirks like small shower screens.

Related guest reviews

8

Simon

17 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Staff were great. Location is good if you are catching the train to other places (Modena or Parma) but 15 mins walk into city centre. Hotel is nice but rooms are a bit dated and in need of some refurbishment but perfectly adequate for a short stay.

10

Kristian

1 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Lovely big room, with bathtub. Our room was located on the train station side. But there was no noice at all. The room had a double window so no sound at all.

6

Daniel

10 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 5 nights

Aircon non existent, sockets not as they should be, pillows as empty as possible. Good location if not a little loud. Only designed for conferences - don’t stay there if you’re not in Bologna for a conference. Wasn’t the nicest part of our honeymoon.

8

Paul

29 Apr 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It is across the street from the train station which was great for us as that is how we are traveling. However the hotel is still in winter mode which means the AC system is not working. We needed to open windows which made for a very noisy, warm night. Other than that, it was a good place to stay.

8

Tatyana

23 Oct 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location close to the train station. The A/C was not working properly.

10

Teresa

28 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

The Starhotel Excelsior is a very deserving 4 star hotel. I booked 3 rooms for 4 nights inc breakfast for my family and I for a short holiday and after much research I booked this hotel and I’m so glad I did. It has an elegant reception with lovely welcoming staff. The rooms are quite even though the train station was across the road and they were all spacious with comfortable beds and decent sized bathrooms. The only downside was the shower glass was too small and water was going all over the floor and onto the wooden door which is bowing, guessing it happens all the time. My husband pulled the alarm cord too 🤣 thinking it was the extraction fan and needed maintenance to come and reset it. The breakfast was excellent with plenty to choose from and help yourself to coffee / cappuccino machines. One morning I was not well and the staff offered to bring some breakfast to my room, instead my husband opted for a takeaway bag with cakes, biscuits, coffee and a cheese toastie. This was very kind. The location is about a 20 minute walk to the main square centre ( beautiful) and 2 minutes to the bus / central train station. Very convenient as we traveled to Verona, Modena and Rimini and beyond. Thank you to everyone at Excelsior for a fabulous stay. 🇮🇹 ♥️ 😊

10

Mike

26 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Next to the railway station so busy area but hotel itself very quiet. Rooms in great condition and very comfy.

6

Michael

4 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

nice space, but the hotel only had heat, no air conditioning. the room was already hot when we got there. opened windows made it difficult to regulate temp all night long. across from train station - very convenient.

10

Lisa

26 May 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was quiet, even though it was on a busy street, and the bed was comfortable.

6

Victoria

30 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent size of room and location to train station. Was let down by faulty air con. The room was uncomfortably too hot and the mini bar fridge also did not work. Bar staff were very friendly and excellent cocktails!

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Service

Service is widely described as friendly, professional and helpful, with early check-ins, upgrades and thoughtful assistance. Some guests experienced slow or chaotic check-in/out and occasional rudeness or miscommunication.

Related guest reviews

6

mattias

1 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Good bed, good ac, clean, but rude front desk

8

Gaspar

6 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Reception is very chaotic both for the check in and check out… no proper queues or system. Arriving and seeing/experiencing that is very off putting and stressful. Also the breakfast quality is extremely poor. But hotel is clean and comfortable and easy to get to the station

10

Ruth

4 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely hotel, comfortable bed, good restaurant and fantastic staff. From check in to check out and restaurant in between, the staff were wonderful. Friendly and extremely helpful.

10

Timothy M

10 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

Starhotels Excelsior is on par with a good Hilton or Marriott. Excellent location directly across the street from Bologna Centrale, which makes arrivals and departures effortless. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout the stay. The room was very clean with a comfortable bed and good linens. Minor quirk: I had to hunt a bit to figure out the bathtub drain knob, but nothing serious. Breakfast was a highlight. Scrambled eggs and bacon, a strong bakery selection, fresh juices, yogurt, and deli items. Plenty of choice and good quality. From the hotel, it’s about a 20-minute walk to Piazza Maggiore, passing through lively streets full of shops and cafés. A solid, reliable choice for Bologna.

10

Paul

23 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was very clean and well appointed. The front desk staff were very polite and helpful along with everyone else I came in contact with from housekeeping to security. Location of the property couldn’t be more convenient. Directly across the street from the train station and an easy 10-15 minute walk to all of the restaurants ect.

6

David

27 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

They send you a link the checkin online, filling their forms takes quite some time as the ask for all kind of stuff, and when you arrive at the hotel it again takes a very long time to checkin, longer than at most other places in IT, even though you checked in online already, com'on. Nice how they waste your time for nothing. Our room and especially the bathroom had a very strong smell of smoke, as someone would have smoked in the room during days, disgusting. Otherwise, the hotel would be nice, good breakfast, good location.

8

Øyvind

13 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Glimrende hotell, rett over gata for togstasjonen. Inn- og utsjekking tok litt tid, ellers var alt perfekt. Effektivt AC-anlegg som ga et svalt rom, selv med 36 grader ute. Innholdsrik og god frokost, enda til med grovt brød.

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10

Nicole

29 May 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had a great stay! It was so convenient for us as we used the train (which is across the street) every day to get to Imola for the Grand Prix. The staff, especially Andrea, were helpful and kind. Andrea arranged reservations for us each night of our stay which we SO appreciated!

10

Isaac Jaber

5 Jan 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Atendimento excelente em todos os setores e funcionários muito gentis

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10

Steve

10 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Customer service was excellent from the moment we arrived to house cleaning. Thank you to the entire team!

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Location

Directly opposite Bologna Centrale, ideal for rail travel and day trips, with a 15–20 minute walk to the historic center. Several reviews note the immediate station area can feel busy or unsafe at night.

Related guest reviews

8

Genevieve

13 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We had a good stay. The property was comfortable and clean. Breakfast was good. Staff were very kind and helpful. If I had been alone I would not have felt safe in the area around the hotel.

8

Hiroaki

10 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Hotel は中央駅の前と立地は最高。だけどそのせいか、ホテル近辺には不労者らしき人が複数人寝泊まりしている。タバコの吸い殻はポイ捨て、食べ物の残りや包装紙何あちらこちらに捨てられており非常に不快！又近くで引ったくり事件があったようで複数人げ逃げ、複数人が全速力で追っかけていました。怖いです。

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10

Timothy M

10 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

Starhotels Excelsior is on par with a good Hilton or Marriott. Excellent location directly across the street from Bologna Centrale, which makes arrivals and departures effortless. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout the stay. The room was very clean with a comfortable bed and good linens. Minor quirk: I had to hunt a bit to figure out the bathtub drain knob, but nothing serious. Breakfast was a highlight. Scrambled eggs and bacon, a strong bakery selection, fresh juices, yogurt, and deli items. Plenty of choice and good quality. From the hotel, it’s about a 20-minute walk to Piazza Maggiore, passing through lively streets full of shops and cafés. A solid, reliable choice for Bologna.

10

Paul

23 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was very clean and well appointed. The front desk staff were very polite and helpful along with everyone else I came in contact with from housekeeping to security. Location of the property couldn’t be more convenient. Directly across the street from the train station and an easy 10-15 minute walk to all of the restaurants ect.

10

Ruth

15 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great position opposite the railway station. Staff charming, friendly and knowledgeable. Comfortable bed and good breakfast. I will return.

10

Francisco Javier

17 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

El hotel está bien ubicado para una visita de un par de días por Bolonia. Muy silencioso y a 15 minutos del centro.

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10

Julio

20 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Location in from of Bologna Stazione

10

Piia

2 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location next to train station, where you can catch trains to many places in Italy and also taxi or train to the Bologna airport. However in the evening the location isn’t very safe - witnessed some drug selling just few steps from hotel entry quite early in the evening and decided to pick up food and eat in the room instead of dining out :( Lobby is nice, but rooms need updating as quite worndown in many places. Bed was very good. Other places of the room were fairly clean but bathroom not. Specially bath tub was disgusting and we had to clean it with wipes before taking a shower. Great location for one night stops like ours before traveling further, but don’t recommend for longer stays.

10

Christine

10 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Excellent location in a modern clean hotel. I highly recommend especially to those traveling by train

10

Edward

21 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Beautiful hotel right across train station. Area is not the prettiest but location is great.

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Dining

Breakfast is often praised for variety and quality, and the restaurant/bar earn positive mentions. Some found the breakfast average or overpriced, coffee bitter, or vegetarian options limited.

Related guest reviews

10

Regina

31 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Good location. Breakfast was quite expensive at Eur50. Freindly cleaning staff.

10

Timothy M

10 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

Starhotels Excelsior is on par with a good Hilton or Marriott. Excellent location directly across the street from Bologna Centrale, which makes arrivals and departures effortless. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout the stay. The room was very clean with a comfortable bed and good linens. Minor quirk: I had to hunt a bit to figure out the bathtub drain knob, but nothing serious. Breakfast was a highlight. Scrambled eggs and bacon, a strong bakery selection, fresh juices, yogurt, and deli items. Plenty of choice and good quality. From the hotel, it’s about a 20-minute walk to Piazza Maggiore, passing through lively streets full of shops and cafés. A solid, reliable choice for Bologna.

8

Warwick

15 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

Food was great, bar was nice. Cleaners were very proffessional and cleaned my room well.

10

Frank

9 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great friendly staff. Clean modern rooms. Breakfast buffet.

8

Yvonne

8 Mar 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

Extremely close to the train station. You can just walk across the street and the hotel is in front. Breakfast is a bit hard to get food. Not replaced as it is emptied. Sausages especially. Too many tour groups use this hotel and is used by tourists. Reception is not able to give advice on how to get to things like pharmacy or banks. Their solution was “take a taxi” Bologna is undergoing a great deal of street construction so a taxi is a waste of money and time in blocked traffic.

8

Helen

20 May 2025

·

Stayed 5 nights

The hotel is very convenient for travellers as it is very close to the station. The ‘Centro storico’ is all within walking distance. We didn’t like the coffee at breakfast. The coffee from the machine was bitter/unpleasant. There is an option to ask the staff to make you a fresh coffee but this didn’t taste much better: I very much doubt it was made with a proper machine.

8

Kenneth

26 May 2024

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Stayed 3 nights

Perfect location right across from Bologna Central train station. Good breakfast. Excellent restaurant for dinner if don’t want to go elsewhere.

10

Alan

18 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very clean rooms, lovely breakfast

10

Lisa

26 May 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I booked this hotel for convenience, and have stayed one other time. The breakfast was good. I’d have eaten there for dinner if you had any decent vegetarian options with proteins.

10

Douglas

14 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

They had the best breakfast we've had in all of Europe! The staff was very well trained and service was excellent!

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Month	Average price
January	US$160
February	US$177
March	US$312
April	US$270
May	US$280
June	US$296
July	US$148
August	US$125
September	US$288
October	US$283
November	US$232
December	US$143

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20 $236	21 $737	22	23 $400	24 $260	25 $226	26 $235
27 $204	28 $428	29 $397	30 $266

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $428	2 $460	3 $384
4 $401	5 $192	6 $355	7 $482	8 $419	9 $364	10 $269
11 $167	12 $206	13 $432	14 $301	15 $420	16 $426	17 $267
18 $160	19 $210	20 $216	21 $251	22 $251	23 $255	24 $269
25 $147	26 $195	27 $172	28 $179	29 $164	30 $172	31 $166

Starhotels Excelsior

Prices for Starhotels Excelsior

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Triple Room

Deluxe Double Room

Superior Double Or Twin Room

Family Room (2 Adulti + 2 Bambini)

Junior Suite

Family Room (Connecting)

Guest reviews of Starhotels Excelsior

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Starhotels Excelsior

Prices for upcoming dates