Astoria Palace Hotel

A hotel that calls itself a palace always has a lot to live up to, and at this hotel the name is more of a wishful metaphor than a statement of fact. The long parking lot and orange quasi-brutalist façade don’t conjure notions of a romantic Sicilian palazzo, and the dated granite floors and sagging blue leather furniture dashed throughout the lobby look cheap rather than elegant. There is some interesting abstract and expressionist art near the cocktail area at the back of the lounge, but formless couches with swirling paisley patterns, white walls, and poor lighting add no intrigue to the space, which ultimately feels like a hotel bar from the ’80s. This hotel predominantly attracts couples and business travelers, though families and solo travelers are welcome here too.

This hotel isn’t convenient to the sights or landmarks in Palermo for guests looking to walk, and the immediate area—on a shabby side street off an unattractive and busy road—isn’t pleasant, a quality made worse by a major produce market right next door which lends the area of distinctive, trash-strewn funk. Walks to the center of town take 20 minutes, though destinations like Teatro Massimo, the city’s main opera house, will take nearly 30 minutes to reach on foot, a trip that can be completed in 15 minutes by taxi, but will not be cheap. The Palermo Cathedral is 15 minutes away by taxi or car as well, while the trendy restaurants and bars of the Kalsa area and the narrow, scenic lanes of the Castellammare area are at 10 to 15 minute drive from the hotel. The beach at Mondello also takes about 19 minutes to reach by car, while Palermo’s main airport is about 32 minutes away by taxi or car.  

Guest rooms are the definition of simple and average even after being treated to ongoing renovations—from their walnut laminate floors to empty tan walls and slightly worn, mid-’90s furniture. Though all rooms come with small flat-screen TVs, electric safes, desks, mini-fridges with minibars, telephones, and individually controlled air-conditioning, those modern conveniences do little to mitigate the spare and basic vibe. Beds are comfortable, though, with comforters and bed runners that match the walls, and every room has a large mirror, though it feels like a frameless afterthought. Rooms also have a leather armchair that has seen better days as well as contemporary Lucite desk chairs, and some rooms have balconies looking out onto the port in the distance and Monte Pellegrino. Bathrooms are fine, though Superior Room bathrooms are far nicer than their counterparts in Standard Rooms, with striking black-and-tan striped tiled walls, antique-style features, bathtub/shower combos, toiletries, and large black vanities. Standard Room bathrooms have the same amenities, but are dated, with unattractive granite vanities and terra-cotta tiled floors. Non-renovated rooms have shabby red carpets, tube-style televisions, and cheap, and the kind of chairs that are designed to stack on top of each other in an event hall. There can be substantial early morning noise at this hotel, though higher floors are generally quieter.

The hotel offers a basic breakfast buffet that is included with all bookings, while on-site Il Cedro restaurant has an Italian wine list and serves classic Sicilian dishes, though better options exist in the center of town. The bar in the lobby is a fine place for a drink, though one might wonder why there is such interesting art on the walls there and none on the walls in the guest rooms. Room service and laundry services are both available, and the hotel’s front desk is staffed 24 hours a day. Wi-Fi is only available in the hotel’s common areas, though wired Internet is available in guest rooms and there are fees for both. The hotel has eight meeting and event rooms, and though none are particularly attractive they can accommodate up to 1000 guests. There is on-site private parking for guests with cars and small pets are also allowed.