Hotel Etoile Du Nord

Yes I am upset! This place is one of the most expensive hotels around and is by far the worst. To begin with, the whole hotel heavily smells of cigarette smoke. Whoever's at the desk, day or night, smokes continuously and even in front of customers and in front of the "no smoking" sign. I don't smoke and the smell makes me sick; it's everywhere, in the lobby, in the restaurant, in the cafe, in the corridors, literally everywhere throughout the building! Second major issue is the air conditioning. They do have it, they just choose not to use it. I am literally sweating in bed while writing this, it is hot and at the price I paid for this room, I deserve to have some air conditioning, especially because they advertise as being fully air conditioned. When I enquired about it, they told me that it was not yet on, because it wasn't summer yet. We're in June and it's boiling hot! From what I heard, they have the same issue in winter with the heating: they have it, but they choose not to use it because apparently they believe it's not cold enough. The third major issue is the cleanliness, or the lack of it. Rooms are old and dirty, the carpet is filthy and I found hair in the bed that did not belong to me and this is absolutely disgusting. I am in the habit of cleaning my room when I go to a hotel and believe me, by the time I was done, the wipe I used was really dirty. Fourth and last major issue is that the cleaners have the really bad habit of storming in your room without knocking and unfortunately doors cannot be locked from the inside in any way. Knowing this, I used a door jammer behind the door, to prevent them from coming in. The next morning not only they didn't knock, not only they opened the door with the key, but when they realized that there was something holding the door closed, they kept pushing to open the door anyway! The hotel is located right in front of the highway, but don't worry you won't hear it, because the river, which is just outside the hotel, is a lot more noisy than the highway. If all this wasn't enough, the shower was broken and I wasn't able to use it. The bed is really uncomfortable, it's not flat, it caves in quite significantly in the middle. The rooms are really dated and even though the place has been repainted sort of recently, it's still falling apart.

We really enjoy this hotel. It is spotless clean. The staff is super nice. The rooms spacious. It’s not super modern, but everything is functional. Breakfast has everything one needs, and the croissants are tasty (which is not always easy to find in Italy). The pool is very warm and very well suited for kids. Unfortunately it is not open on Sundays. The location is a bit outside Aosta which is very practical for excursions around the region. There is a big parking.

We stayed here for two nights, rooms were clean and airconditioned, beds have good matresses and they have the softest towels. Wifi is very weak and the hotel is a bit aged (I’ld say 90’s). Not everyone of the staff speaks English (well) but they are so friendly and do anything to help you. The swimming pool is also open to public so booking is necessary, also important to mention is the obligatory use of a swimming cap (mostly in Italy).

Needs bringing up to date in my opinion as the rooms are tired and it does not have all the facilities it advertises. Food is moderate and the lobby area which extends through the full hotel height stinks of cigarettes 24/7. Has air con but although you ask them to set the temperature they don’t so if you have an inside room you don’t get any air at all.

Nice enough, nothing special. Family run, with good views of the Aosta Valley and a nice roof top terrace but it is far from any local facilities apart from a good pizzeria next door, so a car would be advisable. (There is a decent sized free car park). Has a good swimming pool. Rooms are OK, shower very weak, beds nice and firm. There is a Bar downstairs but the hours seemed variable. Food was ok.