We stayed for 2 weeks at the Il Canale and throughly enjoyed our time there. Bologna is a great city to "work out of" to see this region of Italy. The train station is an easy walk from the hotel and you can comfortably travel to all of the popular sites by train. Bologna itself is a treasure and the museums are well worth your time. The location of the hotel makes it easy to walk anywhere in the center city -- or easy to grab a bus. Many eateries of all types are within a block or two. The central food market is a nice stroll away. The staff at the hotel were all friendly and eager to accommodate us. The room was clean and comfortable. We had room 10 and we would request this room again for several reasons. One of the treasures near the hotel is the Trattoria dal Baissanot. The food is traditional & wonderful. The owners and staff were so warm that we felt like family on the 2nd visit. Needless to say, we enjoyed several meals there. Yes, we would stay here again, with pleasure!

Just back from a 4-night stay at this hotel, which was in an excellent situation and well placed in centre of town. Double room was small but adequate, if a little too orange!! Only complaint was of foul smell in bathroom, although this was kept spotlessly clean, as was rest of room. Guess the plumbing is not all it could be. Breakfast was OK. Have stayed in Bologna on a few occasions and this was not the best hotel I have used, however it was fine for a few nights.

The Hotel Il Canale is a sweet little hotel that provides good value for money. It is well located in the middle of Bologna on a small side street that looks a tiny bit grim but is very quiet and provides no cause for concern. The rooms seem to vary quite a bit but all of the ones I saw (several friends were staying there) were well-kept and pleasant. Some were even large and quite beautiful, with views over the canal at the back of the hotel. A couple of rooms at the front near the reception desk could be a bit loud if there were groups coming in and out and the one at the very front had a large but strange bathroom in which the shower was just a shower head on the wall in the room with the toilet - this is not typical of most of the rooms - but it also had high ceilings and a lovely chandelier. The staff was extremely nice and accomodating and the breakfast was pleasant (though I've rarely found Italian hotel breakfasts to be all that great). I liked the hotel because it had charm and character that is so often missing from hotels in this price range. I would stay there again and would recommend it to friends.

I booked a room at this hotel for three nights through Travelocity. When I arrived, printed confirmation in hand, I was curtly informed that there was no record of my reservation. Even when I explained -- in better-than-average Italian -- that I had guaranteed a room with my credit card and had the confirmation number from a respected internet site -- the man at the front desk just shrugged and did not even offer to help me find another room in Bologna. When I asked him to call other hotels in the area, he reached under the desk and tossed a phone book at me -- he didn't even offer to let me use his telephone. I liked the look of this hotel from pictures on the internet. Too bad they were so incompetent that I didn't get a chance to stay there. On the other hand, it's right next door to an XXX Video shop, so I wasn't as sorry to relocate as I might have been otherwise.

Stayed one night on our return from Florence. On the way out we had stayed at the Internazionale down the street - but it's rate for Saturday night was way too dear. Il Canale is a nice hotel, big rooms, an excellent en suite which was spotlessly clean. The hotel is just a few door off Via Indipendenza, down an alley. There is a sex shop next door which may put some people off. Didn't get to sample the breakfast as we had an early flight. Friendly staff. No street noise (Saturday night) Only negatives : 1. Some guests (Italians) noisily arrived at about 12.30, banging doors, speaking loudly in the corridors. Not the hotel's fault - but the doors all close with a bang unless eased closed gently. 2. Room was quite warm when we arrived but the A/C did not allow the room to be cooled, even with the thermostat on low.. I would recommend the hotel & would definitely stay here again - though I'll check the Internazionale's rates first