Royal Continental if the seafront, seasonal pool and private parking are non-negotiable; Smart Hotel Napoli if you want higher room and supplier scores beside the port — accepting port noise and an earlier check-out.
Position is the fork. Royal Continental has the only POI distances in this pair: Castel dell’Ovo 0.4 km, Piazza del Plebiscito 1 km, Pompeii 23 km. Smart Hotel Napoli sits at Stazione Marittima Molo Angioino with no POI rows in our seed — we judge it on the port address and a 9.37 out of 10 location score, not invented walks. Location favours the seafront on the number (9.75 against 9.37) and on measured landmarks.
Guest scores favour Smart on the headline and the rooms: supplier rating 8.8 out of 10 from 5,445 reviews against 8.4 from 5,524 at the Royal, captured 7 January 2026 on both. Room quality is 8.82 against 7.7; cleanliness 8.56 against 7.74. Value is 8.81 against 7.19. Royal still wins on food and beverage (8.74 against 7.86) if breakfast quality at the port is a worry — Smart names breakfast improvement as a con.
Facilities split cleanly. Royal lists fitness, seasonal rooftop pool, restaurant, bar, pets and private parking. Smart lists restaurant, bar, family rooms, pets and airport shuttle — no pool, gym or parking in the amenity list we cite.
Check-in is from 03:00 PM at both; Smart publishes a midnight latest arrival. Check-out edges hard to Royal (11:00 AM against 10:30 AM). Both are independent; both associate NAP in the property’s records.