Please beware. We were booked at the Hotel Bernini in Rome for two nights in July and it was a nightmare. They lost our passports(among other mistakes), and another American guest told us the same thing had happened to her the day before.They take the passports when you check in to copy them and then leave them in your cubby behind the front desk. Her passport was "found" in the hotel vault, but ours never was, and we headed home and to the airport without them and hoped for the best. The hotel front desk sent us to the airport in their limo, because the time had gotten tight as they frantically searched for our passports. When we got to the airport the driver charged us for the ride! Thank goodness I had copied our passports, and that, along with an unbelievable american airlines staff allowed us to get back to JFK. After three days at home, the hotel bernini called us and told us they'd found the passports--they'd given the passports to another couple, who, while in Positano, noticed they had the wrong passports and sent them back. The hotel was never contrite about their mistake, and never made good on it.We did hear from the general manager, who phoned with a simple "sorry". While they searched back in Rome, the State Dept. warned us that if the passports weren't found, we would be "flagged" every time we traveled since we had to file a missing passport form with the police at the Rome airport.That meant we'd be called into the security room for questioning whenever we travelled out of the country.Beside that, the elevators in the hotel were not working the entire time we were there, wait time at the front desk to check in or get other services was extremely long, and the internet hookup in the rooms was not as advertised.When we first discovered our passports "lost", the front desk insisted they accompany us back up to our room so we could search for them!The Bernini had a very difficult time taking responsibility for the disappearance of our passports.We learned a lesson and will never again be separated from our passports. Cannot believe they charged over $300/night.

You were allowed to travel home without a passport? I have never heard of that before.

yes, because I had the pages of our passports copied, and carried them with us, we were able to fly home. But that was after extensive phone calls, questioning, verifying of ID, etc.Also, the hotel called the airport and spoke with security, told them to expect us. The American embassy was closed because it was a saturday.

Interesting. I didn't realize there are exceptions to the rule of needing a passport for international travel.

I'm so sorry about your terrible experience. I suggest you post on www.tripadvisor.com too

so sorry about your experiance! and by the way, this is EXACTLY why I plan to use our California drivers licenses for museum "deposits" and never, ever, our passports!!!