My complaint to the Zanhotel Group and Zanhotel Tre Vecchi and to request an immediate refund for the value of my two suitcases (EUR 395), as recorded in the police report. My wife and I stayed at Zanhotel Tre Vecchi from 15th to 19th May 2025, in room 342. We had three suitcases, two checked-in and one carry-on.
On 17th May, we left the hotel around 9:30 a.m. and returned around 8:40 p.m. The door to our room was closed, and everything seemed normal. However, when we entered the room, we immediately noticed that two of our three suitcases had been vandalized; the blue carry-on suitcase had a broken lock and zipper, and the padlock was missing; the purple suitcase had a broken lock, the fabric around the locker was torn, and pieces of the lock were on the floor. I checked the contents of the suitcases and realized that nothing had been stolen. I immediately reported the incident to reception. At that moment, another guest was at the reception reporting a similar case.
The receptionist was calling the police and also reported my case. The police arrived quickly and checked the room. They found no signs of forced entry on the door (which had an electronic lock) or the windows, but they did see that the suitcases had been vandalized. The hotel employee on duty at the time accompanied the police and took some photos.
Following the police officer's instructions, I went to the police station the next day, 18th May, to make a formal report of the incident in order to obtain compensation from the hotel for the damage suffered.
I handed the police report to the receptionist and to Mr. Roberto (the director), who argued that the hotel was safe and that nothing like this had ever happened before. At that point, I asked Mr. Roberto about the hotel's procedures for reimbursing me for the damage to my suitcases, as it was the hotel's responsibility; the suitcases became unusable since they can no longer be locked. Mr. Roberto said that the hotel could do nothing and that I would now have to resolve the issue with the police directly. I told him that I did not agree and said that I would speak with him again the following day.
The next morning, when we checked out, Mr. Roberto was at reception with four other hotel employees. We asked him again about the hotel's position regarding our case and when we could expect to receive compensation for the damage to our suitcases. One of the employees smiled dismissively while Mr. Roberto said that it was not that simple. He said that, because we had reported the vandalism to the police, the case would be between the police, me and my lawyer, since there were no signs of forced entry into our room.
Outraged by this response, I said that the hotel has a duty under Italian law to compensate guests for any damage suffered during their stay. My suitcases were damaged inside the room 342 at the Zanhotel Tre Vecchi, so I am entitled to compensation.
The director, Mr Roberto, then replied saying that this was my version of the facts. When I asked him what his version was, he smiled at me disrespectfully (ignoring the fact I’m a customer) and said that the suitcases could have been damaged at the airport. He even insinuated that my wife and I could have caused the damage. At that point, we realized that the director and the other hotel staff were refusing to take responsibility and were simply ignoring the fact that the suitcases had been broken/vandalized inside the hotel.
I have suffered financial and moral harm due to the events described in this email, mainly because the hotel refuses to take responsibility and to compensate me for the damage caused to my vandalized suitcases.
Today marks 1 month without any response from the hotel, simply ignoring the situation and disrespecting me as a customer.
