Leisure in Rome www.leisureinrome.com

We've just returned from a wonderful few days in Rome. We stayed at Appartment Stella, Via della Stelletta 26,which we obtained through Leisure in Rome.Set in a maze of narrow,cobbled streets in the heart of the old city, within walking distance of museums,galleries,ancient sites and good restaurants(and right next door to an excellent pizza bar),this is a spacious and comfortable apartment which easily accommodates 2/3 adults.We received excellent service throughout our visit from Cory and his team at Leisure in Rome,who were attentive,friendly and helpful at all times.There is also an excellent family bakery at the end of the street,which seemed to be open at all ours!

Leisure in Rome is a scam!! DO NOT rent with this company. They are NOT honest!! Leisure in Rome is in fact “Nightmare in Rome”. This company presents luxury apartments on their website to trap customers into renting them, demands a steep non-refundable deposit, then delivers dirty worn out apartments lacking basic supplies. The owner of the company does not think it’s a problem to advertise an “extra special luxury design apartment” with supplies of linen, towels, etc. and deliver a dirty apartment with no basic supplies, no hot water, etc. The owner discounts guest reviews on their own website and insists customers should see the actual apartments for themselves instead of believing the reviews. In this way, guests are trapped: it is too late to cancel the reservation, and the guests will be trapped in the apartment, whatever the condition. We are one of the victims.

Here are some reviews from the company’s own website:

“The pictures on the website certainly did not reflect the true condition of the apartment…, (it) was indeed tired & required maintenance and was quite dark and (personally) depressing. Perhaps it would have been suitable for college students or backpackers but in my opinion was certainly not up to scratch… the lighting was not all operable in the unit and it certainly needed a good clean…”

“A nightmare. Apartment wasn't cleaned when we arrived for check-in (1900). NO HOT WATER. No toilet supplies. No kitchen basics (towels, etc.).”

“this apartment needs a very good clean. Marks all over the walls and doors broken soap dish in main shower, toilet roll holder broken in 2nd bathroom. Attention to detail...ZERO! Pillows terrible, beds rock hard. We left two days earlier.”

“The floor was very dirty, the walls weren't very clean either, a microwave would be useful and there was only a small pan for 6 people.
The toilet seat of the first floor bathroom hasn't been repaired yet and the same applies to the shower, despite all the complaints of previous guests. During our stay there wasn't enough toilette paper available.”

“Dirty, don't think the floors have been washed for months.
Owner not responsive - broken toilet seat lid, said he'd have it fixed the next day, never happened. Left message regarding leaking shower hose in one bathroom and problem with the mixing value in the other shower, never got back to us.”

So, draw your own conclusion. We just want to warn you: The company will promise a luxury apartment, take a big non-refundable deposit, when you arrive and see the true condition, your vacation will already be ruined and you’ll be on the hook for the full payment with no recourse. Beware.

Owner of Leisure in Rome, Angelo refused to refund our deposit and said delivering a dirty apartment with no supplies, etc. is not violating the contract. So, he apparently thinks that’s appropriate. The manager, Cinzia also said that guests check-in and check-out, so dirtiness of the apartments is “normal.” Please note, Leisure in Rome does charge a steep cleaning fee as part of the rental. The company apparently pockets the cleaning fee and never cleans the apartments. Cinzia even lied to us saying that the apartment is now renovated and the pictures are brand new and it is a true luxury apartment. What a joke, those pictures are exactly the ones posted on their website last year when we booked it. In fact, they changed the name of this apartment, Cinzia said “sometimes we change name”. We wonder whether the truth of their changing names of their apartments is to hide the bad reviews.

We filed dispute with our credit card company. We’re writing to New York Times, TripAdvisors, Lonely planet, Fodor’s, etc. to tell the true story and the business practices of this company, so people will be aware of the scam.

I decided to book for apartment Vittorio because it looked the right choice for me. This lovely flat met my expections and I loved its modern atmosphere.

Very close to many attractions, it's bright and highly recommended to anyone in search of a contemporary accommodation in Rome. It's well equipped and defintely ideal for a couple.

We booked the Buonoconto apartment with www.leisureinrome.com for our stay in Rome in October. The apartment was fantastic, it is located right in the centre of town and is clean, well maintained and true to the picture and description on the website. Leisure in Rome were very easy to work with and always replied promptly to our emails right up to our arrival date. The booking process was quick and straightforward and the check in when we arrived went very smoothly, we even arranged our airport transfer through them. I would not hesitate in recommending Leisure in Rome to others and look forward to using their service again for our next trip to Rome!