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Accommodation Although Rome's hotels tend to be expensive, they are bursting with character, and for the budget-conscious, there are plenty of family-run pensioni. Location is everything, and prices vary accordingly. The elegant hotels around lively Piazza di Spagna mostly cater for affluent tourists; Piazza Navona has its fair share of luxury hotels intermixed with medium-priced hotels; the Campo de' Fiori is a good district for cheap to mid-range hotels. Visitors really wishing to save their Lire should head for the district around Termini station. A hotel tax of 10% is usually included in the price. Pre-booking is always recommended, but especially so in peak times - over Easter, and from July to September. The most expensive hotels, which survive largely on business travellers, have their high season in spring and autumn, and tend to be quieter in summer. However, this year-in year-out pattern is being turned around by the Holy Year Celebrations, with its mass influx of pilgrims making early booking vital. Increased prices are only to be expected; the prices given below are subject to change. Reservations should be made at least five months in advance and at least nine months in advance during the Christmas period and from Easter to October. In a spirit of hospitality (combined with financial acumen), about 50,000 families have opened up their homes to offer bed & breakfast facilities to pilgrims. Information is available at the Rome Chamber of Commerce (tel: (06) 1677 68170). Last-minute planners should contact the APT regional tourist board (tel: (06) 488 991); Enjoy Rome, Via Varese 39, outside the Termini station (tel: (06) 445 1843); or Hotel Reservation agency (tel: (06) 699 1000) at Fiumicino airport and Termini station; and AIG, Via Cavour 44 (tel: (06) 487 1152) - all of which will attempt to organise same-day accommodation. However, this option is not recommended. Hotel Eden Via Ludovisi 49, 00187 Rome Tel: (06) 478 121. Fax: (06) 482 1584. E-mail: reservation@hotel-eden.it Web site: www.hotel-eden.it Cost: L850,000-1,050,000 (breakfast not included). Celebrities and the international business community have flocked back to the Eden in the heart of the Via Veneto, basking in the glory of its 30 billion lire renovation, completed in 1994. Fellini used to give interviews from the rooftop terrace in the 1960s, now it is the turn of the Spice Girls and Tom Cruise. Service is pampering enough to calm the ego of the worst prima donna - guests should notify staff of their favourite tune, which will be playing from their room's hi-fi on their arrival. The marbled lobby, and the hotel's 119 rooms (including 14 suites) are richly decorated in turn-of-the-century style. All the rooms have splendid marble bathrooms; top-floor rooms have balconies offering spectacular views of Rome. Above all, the hotel is famed for its Michelin-starred cuisine, cooked up by Chef Enrico Derflingher, former chef to the Prince and late Princess of Wales, at La Terraza dell'Eden rooftop restaurant. The three meeting rooms are equally elegant, but one offers stunning views over Rome. Secretarial and translation services are available on request. Hotel Excelsior Via Vittorio Veneto 125, 00187 Rome Tel: (06) 47081. Fax: (06) 482 6205. E-mail: luxurycollection@sheraton.com Web site: www.luxurycollection.com/excelsiorrome Cost: L737,000-814,000. Service is attentive at the white-domed Excelsior, lying close to the Spanish Steps. Inaugurated in 1906, the hotel is decorated in the grand Empire style, with gleaming chandeliers hanging from high ceilings, carpets to sink into, antique furniture and rich fabrics. The 321 bedrooms, luxuriously renovated in the early 1990s, include 35 suites. The Excelsior bar and Gra Caffe Doney are popular and informal, while La Coupola restaurant is a grander affair. Business facilities are ample (see the Business Services section), and a host of services - including mobile phone, limousine and car hire, and theatre and concert ticket reservation - are on offer. Le Grand Hotel Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando 3, 00185 Rome Tel: (06) 47091. Fax: (06) 474 7307. Cost: Rates unavailable at time of going to press. This large, stately hotel near Termini station - a favourite of royalty and ambassadors - will open its doors in December 1999 after the complete renovation of its 170 rooms. Reservations may be made via the Hotel Excelsior in the meantime. Formerly a hotel of fading grandeur and great decorum, it remains to be seen how Le Grand will fare after its revamp. Crowne Plaza Rome-Minerva Piazza della Minerva 69, 00186 Rome Tel: (06) 695 201. Fax: (06) 679 4165. E-mail: minerva@pronet.it Web site: www.basshotels.com/crowneplaza Cost: L700,000 (breakfast not included). The Crowne Plaza Rome-Minverva has uninspirational decor in its 133 bedrooms and questionable style in the marbled interiors of the public spaces. However, it is set in a lovely seventeenth-century building and has an excellent location - with the Bernini Fountain on the doorstep and the Pantheon a stone's throw away. Conference facilities are good (with capacity for 120 people) and services include bars and currency exchange. Albergo del Sole al Pantheon Piazza della Rotonda 63, 00186 Rome Tel: (06) 678 0441. Fax: (06) 69 94 06 89. E-mail: solealpantheon@italyhotel.com Web site: www.italyhotel.com/roma/solealpantheon Cost: L550,000. The Sole al Pantheon, just opposite the Pantheon, first opened in 1467. Over the centuries, it has acquired an impressive guest list, including Renaissance poet Ludovico Ariosto and French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. Refurbishment has given the hotel a sprightly new look, with pastel shades blending in with reproduction antique beds. Some rooms offer splendid views of the Pantheon, others look onto the peaceful courtyard, where breakfast and drinks are served. Original frescoes swirl across the high ceilings of some of the most beautiful rooms, while Jacuzzis add a more modern touch. Cavalieri Hilton Via Alberto Cadlolo 101, 00136 Rome Tel: (06) 35091. Fax: (06) 35 09 22 41. Web site: www.hilton.com Cost: L475,000-650,000 (breakfast not included). Located thirty minutes from the airport in a large park north of Rome, near the embassies and the Vatican, the Cavalieri is designed with the gourmet and business traveller in mind. This recently renovated hotel affords spectacular city views, the Michelin-starred La Pergola restaurant - rated among the nation's top ten - as well as more informal (less expensive) restaurants and bars, and top-notch sports facilities. All rooms have balconies, with city or secluded park views. Business needs are amply catered for on the Executive Floor, but all rooms are equipped with modems, and the hotel offers internet access. Business facilities are among the best in the city (see the Business Services section). Other services include travel agent, car hire and an hourly shuttle-bus to the city centre. Hilton Airport Hotel Via Arturo Ferrarin 2, Fiumicino, Rome Tel: (06) 65258. Fax: (06) 65 25 65 25. Web site: www.hilton.com Cost: L500,000-700,000 (breakfast not included). In spite of the excellence of the Cavalieri Hilton, it remains to be seen whether formerly faithful clients will be tempted to try out the new Hilton Airport Hotel, within walking distance of Fiumicino airport. An intriguing modern building in the shape of a cross, the new Hilton opened in November 1999. Hotel Atlante Star Via Vitelleschi 34, 00193 Rome Tel: (06) 687 3233. Fax: (06) 687 2300. E-mail: info@atlantehotels.com Web site: www.atlantehotels.com Cost: L490,000-530,000. The best thing about this charming hotel, a stone's throw from the Vatican, is its view onto St Peter's from the flowered terrace restaurants - Roof Garden Les Etoiles on the sixth floor and La Terrazza Paradiso on the seventh floor - both serving Italian cuisine with a twist. However, it is also well placed for trips to the centro storico, and its 70 rooms (including seven suites, some with private Jacuzzis or hydro massage bath big enough for two) are beautifully decorated. Services include currency exchange and conference facilities. The free car pick-up from the airport is a special perk. Hotel d'Inghilterra Via Bocca di Leone 14, 00187 Rome Tel: (06) 69981. Fax: (06) 692 2243. E-mail: reservation-hir@charminghotels.it Web site: www.charminghotels.it/inghilterra Cost: L480,000-600,000 (breakfast not included). Twain, Hemingway and Liszt stayed in this understated but smart hotel, located in a calm street near the Piazza di Spagna. Its 105 rooms are decorated in nostalgic 'English' style and some have balconies. The Roman Garden restaurant (with its separate entrance on Via Borgognona) serves seasonal dishes under a frescoed ceiling, and, combined with atmospheric bars and a charming little tea room, it makes for a relaxing environment. Facilities include currency exchange and fax. Columbus Via della Conciliazione 33, 00193 Rome Tel: (06) 686 5435. Fax: (06) 686 4874. E-mail: columbus@italmarket.com Web site: www.italmarket.com/hotels/columbus/index.html Cost: L470,000. The Columbus, a former monastery by St Peter's Square, has maintained a monastic atmosphere, but the splendid Renaissance hallway betrays the expensive tastes of its first owner in the fifteenth century - a well-heeled cardinal. Guests may dine in La Veranda restaurant - the former refectory - or watch the world go by on the tourist trail to the Vatican. Hotel Scalinata Piazza Trinitá dei Monti 17, 00187 Rome Tel: (06) 69 94 08 96. Fax: (06) 69 94 05 98. Web site: www.venere.it/roma/scalinata Cost: L250,000-500,000. The Bellia family runs this simple but romantic hotel at the top of the Spanish Steps. The 16 bedrooms, entirely renovated in 1998, are charmingly decorated to make guests feel at home. There is no bar or restaurant, although breakfast is served from the roof garden with its superb views onto the Piazza di Spagna, and the surrounding area offers a plethora of restaurants and bars. Celio Hotel Via SS Quattro 35c, 00184 Rome Tel: (06) 70 49 53 33. Fax: (06) 709 6377. Cost: L280,000-390,000. The rooms of this hotel, close to the Colosseum, are decorated with frescoes in the Renaissance style and the en-suite bathrooms flaunt marble walls and mosaic floors. Of the three suites, it is the largest one which steals the show, with its spectacular view of the Colosseum. A rich continental breakfast is served in the room, while drinks may be enjoyed in a cosy little bar or sitting room. Staff are friendly and helpful, providing a currency exchange service and organising city tours, car hire and (payable) airport transfer for guests. Fawlty Towers Hotel and Hostel Via Magenta 39, 00185 Roma Tel/Fax: (06) 445 0374. Cost: L30,000-35,000 (dorm beds); L60,000-75,000 (single rooms); L90,000-120,000 (double rooms). Credit cards are not accepted. Breakfast is not available. The friendly Fawlty Towers, conveniently situated close to Termini station, is a good budget option with ten private rooms (some with en-suite bathrooms) or three small dormitories (for eleven guests in total). There is plenty of room to stretch out in the sitting room and watch satellite TV, or browse through the English-language books and guides. There is a terrace to be enjoyed in summer and good weather. |
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