Carlton and Grand Canal Hotel, Venice

Firstly the photos of the hotel and room are quite deceptive; the Carlton Grand Canal Hotel is a crummy looking hotel with tiny rooms but apparently this is to be expected in Venice- it is also useful to note that there are many dilapidated looking buildings facing the canals and this is becuase the owners are reluctant to spend vast amounts of money on restoration as the canal facade detriorates rapidly from the harsh elements (salt water etc). However this shouldn't deter people from visiting this beautiful city. The ensuite washrooms were not impressive with black mould round the bath. Staff can be unhelpful. On a positive note the breakfast was good. It would have been useful to have board games or pool table in the hotel as some afternoons can be very very hot and it is common for shops to close for the siesta- when travelling with kids this facility would have been very useful. On the whole I would probably try another hotel in future. Having the train station opposite the hotel is only useful if travelling to other cities e.g. Milan but there are no trains to the Airport.