Then this very handsome guy in a white suit walks up to us and introduces himself as "an official tourism guide of Rome" and welcomes us. He asks if we are looking for a restaurant or hotel and "can he be of service". We were your typical trusting Americans, my 4th time in Europe and her first, so we said 'yes, thank you!!' (What suckers we were,,,!!)
He lead us a few blocks to an old building after asking us what our budget was, and we walked into what looked like a 4 STAR HOTEL LOBBY !! The men and women behind the reception desk were dressed to the 9s, and we told him we did not think we could afford "a place as super fancy as this". He reassured us he knew the owners 'personally' and would get us a very good rate. (Could we have been more gullible ?!!)
He talked in Italian to the staff and they offered us a room. Now i know and usually do the smart European thing of ASKING TO SEE THE ROOM FIRST BEFORE SIGNING ANYTHING or paying anything,,,but i was with the hot love of my life, at the time, and this guy was in his official white fancy suit with the badges and emblems,,,so we did not PREVIEW THE ROOM,,,We paid by cash,oops, instead of Master Card or AX, oops, and thanked the White Suit Tourist Official who was quickly out the door.
We then asked for directions to our room with key in hand. It was "just around the corner and upstairs,,," big cheesy smile,,, As we rounded the corner of the Lobby, the decor suddenly became very plain,,,and then very ugly and unkept/dirty !! We walked by the bath/toilet area and both of us GASPED is was so ugly and unclean,,,When we got to the room , we carefully opened the door, fearing a swarm of cockroaches like on Barbados the previous year,,, It was HORRIBLE, THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE UGLY BARE SHABBY UNCLEAN ROOM YOU MIGHT IMAGINE !! My girl started crying "i can't sleep HERE !! i can't shower in THERE !!"
So brave foolish me goes down to the front desk and asks for a different, better room. "No have." Went back upstairs and talked to my then HOT girlfriend, and we decided that we would just stay one night instead of the 3 we had planned, versus loose all our money for that night. Maybe we should have just packed up and left,,,
It was one of the worst rooms, and i have been in cheap shabby 'closet' rooms in Paris,,,and attic bare sad rooms in Britain,,,but this room and scam WAS THE WORST !!
The lesson is, do what the wise Europeans do, EVERY TIME AS IT IS NORMAL AND EXPECTED, IN PREVIEWING YOUR ROOM ,,,BEFORE YOU PAY.
And watchout for the scam in Rome of men in fancy white "official turismo" white suits !!
