Hotels in Rome

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, -Lew- said:

This is the first I have heard of Roma Shuttle...a search here turns up no mention. I'm thinking you've used Roma Shuttle or you wouldn't have mentioned them.

 

I have used them several times when they offered a shared shuttle service (which they no longer do) and always found them reliable.

[marazul]

HOTEL STAR RATINGS IN ITALY – EXPLAINED (SORT OF)

 

Hotel star ratings in Europe are set by some common regulations that each country adapts for itself.  In Italy, the national regulations can also be adapted by different regions or cities.  For example, the requirement of parking spaces for a 4-star hotel would be ridiculous in Venice or, for that matter, in Rome. 

 

This website has an excellent summary of the requirements for Rome (https://www.romewise.com/rome-hotel-star-ratings.html) and a translation of the national requirements (here). (Authors: Elyssa Bernard and Alessandro Bisceglie)

 

Here is their summary of the star ratings for Rome:

 

Minimum hotel standards for Rome Italy Hotels

 

According to decree mentioned above, you can be sure of the following minimum standards for Rome hotel star ratings (there are more requirements, but these are some of the main points that allow you to see the difference between star ratings):

• At a 1 star hotel in Rome: reception 12 hours per day, room cleaning once a day, minimum size of all double room of 14 square meters, change of bed linens once a week.
• At a 2 star hotel in Rome: same features as at a 1-star hotel but there must also be a lift/elevator and a change of bed linens twice a week.
• At a 3 star hotel in Rome: same features as at a 2-star hotel but also staff with knowledge of a foreign language, a reception open at least 16 hours, staff uniforms, internet service, and all rooms to come with a private bathroom.
• At a 4 star hotel in Rome: same features as at a 3-star hotel but also, in addition to daily room cleaning, the room will also be tidied in the afternoon, a change of linen every day (unless the customer opts out of this), laundry and ironing services available for guests,  double rooms at least 15 square meters.
• At a 5 star hotel in Rome: besides all the amenities and features of a 4-star hotel, a 5-star hotel must also offer a reception service open 24 hours a day, employees that speak a total of at least three foreign languages between them, single rooms of at least 9 square meters, and double rooms of at least 16 square meters.

 

 

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

31 minutes ago, marazul said:

HOTEL STAR RATINGS IN ITALY – EXPLAINED (SORT OF)

 

Great summary!

[BarbaraEH]

2 hours ago, marazul said:

HOTEL STAR RATINGS IN ITALY – EXPLAINED (SORT OF)

 

Hotel star ratings in Europe are set by some common regulations that each country adapts for itself.  In Italy, the national regulations can also be adapted by different regions or cities.  For example, the requirement of parking spaces for a 4-star hotel would be ridiculous in Venice or, for that matter, in Rome. 

 

This website has an excellent summary of the requirements for Rome (https://www.romewise.com/rome-hotel-star-ratings.html) and a translation of the national requirements (here). (Authors: Elyssa Bernard and Alessandro Bisceglie)

 

Here is their summary of the star ratings for Rome:

 

Minimum hotel standards for Rome Italy Hotels

 

According to decree mentioned above, you can be sure of the following minimum standards for Rome hotel star ratings (there are more requirements, but these are some of the main points that allow you to see the difference between star ratings):

• At a 1 star hotel in Rome: reception 12 hours per day, room cleaning once a day, minimum size of all double room of 14 square meters, change of bed linens once a week.
• At a 2 star hotel in Rome: same features as at a 1-star hotel but there must also be a lift/elevator and a change of bed linens twice a week.
• At a 3 star hotel in Rome: same features as at a 2-star hotel but also staff with knowledge of a foreign language, a reception open at least 16 hours, staff uniforms, internet service, and all rooms to come with a private bathroom.
• At a 4 star hotel in Rome: same features as at a 3-star hotel but also, in addition to daily room cleaning, the room will also be tidied in the afternoon, a change of linen every day (unless the customer opts out of this), laundry and ironing services available for guests,  double rooms at least 15 square meters.
• At a 5 star hotel in Rome: besides all the amenities and features of a 4-star hotel, a 5-star hotel must also offer a reception service open 24 hours a day, employees that speak a total of at least three foreign languages between them, single rooms of at least 9 square meters, and double rooms of at least 16 square meters.

 

 

 

 

 

Are the star ratings found on sites like Hotels.com or TtripAdvisor based on these Italian standards or some other system?

[marazul]

55 minutes ago, BarbaraEH said:

Are the star ratings found on sites like Hotels.com or TtripAdvisor based on these Italian standards or some other system?

The hotels' own websites will have their official ratings.  I have no idea what the booking websites use, but I imagine they roughly correspond to the official ratings.

[MargaretK54]

Looking to stay one night at Mario de Fiori 37. Any thoughts?

[BarbaraEH]

On 9/10/2023 at 4:20 PM, marazul said:

The hotels' own websites will have their official ratings.  I have no idea what the booking websites use, but I imagine they roughly correspond to the official ratings.

Before I posted my question, I checked our hotel's website but couldn't find anything about the stars. I was just curious so it isn't a big deal.

[hmcrn]

Has anyone stayed at HiSuiteROME?  It is like a hotel, but apartments.  Very curious as they look great and see to be in a great location. Would work very well for us.  Thank you! 

[Lalof]

This might be a strange question, but could anyone recommend a Rome hotel that has queen and/or king sized beds?  I seem to be running into a lot of hotels that show the rooms have a double-size bed,  and that won't work well for myself & my husband.  Thanks!

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, Lalof said:

This might be a strange question, but could anyone recommend a Rome hotel that has queen and/or king sized beds?  I seem to be running into a lot of hotels that show the rooms have a double-size bed,  and that won't work well for myself & my husband.  Thanks!

Think the Italian definition of a Queen or King is probably be the width of two singles pushed together.  However, knowing Singer Palace will always seek to accommodate their guests requirements, so suggest an Email exchange.  welcome@singerpalacehotel.com
 

[marazul]

Doubles in 4*+ hotels tend to be queens and some kings in the American chains. Many 3* will have queens when they say doubles.

[gail-s]

We stayed at the W in Rome and it was a real, king size bed.  

[erby2283]

After scouring this board and researching, I booked an apt yesterday through a third party app. We are three adults and as a @cruisemom42 has mentioned in some posts, it can be hard to find hotels that accommodate three adults. Found a lovely penthouse (807 sq ft) with a large terrace right down the street from Colosseum.  I was hesitant about the area but it has over 52 5-star reviews (nothing less than 5 stars). Trip is Sept 2024 and cost is 620 eu for 2 nights.  I personally thought it was a great price. 

[bennybear]

On 9/24/2023 at 1:53 PM, Lalof said:

This might be a strange question, but could anyone recommend a Rome hotel that has queen and/or king sized beds?  I seem to be running into a lot of hotels that show the rooms have a double-size bed,  and that won't work well for myself & my husband.  Thanks!

We too prefer king or queen, double matrimonial size bed in Italy works as well.  It’s larger than a North American double, more like a queen.  

 

19 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

After scouring this board and researching, I booked an apt yesterday through a third party app. We are three adults and as a @cruisemom42 has mentioned in some posts, it can be hard to find hotels that accommodate three adults. Found a lovely penthouse (807 sq ft) with a large terrace right down the street from Colosseum.  I was hesitant about the area but it has over 52 5-star reviews (nothing less than 5 stars). Trip is Sept 2024 and cost is 620 eu for 2 nights.  I personally thought it was a great price. 

My only concern for you is that I have heard of numerous last minute cancellations for people who book early at an air B and B type place.  You are at the mercy of the third party.   My preference is to book directly or with a well vetted booking company.    Research carefully to see they are legit reviews. 

[erby2283]

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

My only concern for you is that I have heard of numerous last minute cancellations for people who book early at an air B and B type place.  You are at the mercy of the third party.   My preference is to book directly or with a well vetted booking company.    Research carefully to see they are legit reviews. 

I had read one or two complaints about that on the internet.  I did make sure this VRBO had been in use for a while (first review was back in 2018) and it literally does not have a single review less than 5 stars - which you think could be fishy - but I do so much research that I hope I am good.

 

Your point is not without merit though and maybe I will try and book something else that does not require a deposit with free cancelation just in case. 🙂 

[FLCruiser97]

3 hours ago, erby2283 said:

After scouring this board and researching, I booked an apt yesterday through a third party app. We are three adults and as a @cruisemom42 has mentioned in some posts, it can be hard to find hotels that accommodate three adults. Found a lovely penthouse (807 sq ft) with a large terrace right down the street from Colosseum.  I was hesitant about the area but it has over 52 5-star reviews (nothing less than 5 stars). Trip is Sept 2024 and cost is 620 eu for 2 nights.  I personally thought it was a great price. 

On our trip to Rome back in October 2022 we stayed at a hotel in the Colosseum area and it was just fine. No problems and there were all kinds of restaurants and bars. Some of the best food I have ever eaten. 

[desibee]

Has anyone here stayed at the Abitart Hotel in the Ostiense district?  We are considering it for our post-cruise night since our post-cruise tour will drop us at Ostiense train station.

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, desibee said:

Has anyone here stayed at the Abitart Hotel in the Ostiense district?  We are considering it for our post-cruise night since our post-cruise tour will drop us at Ostiense train station.

Ostiense is an area that until recently has not been a hot spot for hotels. It’s not so close to the center, but it is well connected by metro and train lines.

 

There are also a few really interesting sites in Ostiense worth a visit if you’re not planning to get to the “big” Rome attractions. There’s a tomb in the shape of a rather large pyramid that belonged to a Roman senator who was a governor of the Egyptian province, a very important appointment. It’s near the train and metro stations, hard to miss. Near it, there is also the so-called Protestant cemetery where several well- known literary figures are buried including John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. It’s a peaceful place for a little wander. 
 

Also nearby is the well-preserved Porta San Paolo, one of the Roman gates in the 3rd century AD Aurelian walls that surrounded the city. It is open to visit on certain days.

 

Finally, there’s an excellent museum of Roman sculpture at the Centrale Montemartini. 

[desibee]

13 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Ostiense is an area that until recently has not been a hot spot for hotels. It’s not so close to the center, but it is well connected by metro and train lines.

 

There are also a few really interesting sites in Ostiense worth a visit if you’re not planning to get to the “big” Rome attractions.

 

We will only be staying for 1 night, as we are flying out the next evening.  And our post-cruise tour will take us around to the "big" attractions like the Forum and Colosseum and such.  I'm not sure if we will feel up to explore much of Ostiense itself but I heard there were such great food options there and in the nearby Testaccio area so we will definitely be checking them out.

 

I'm mostly just worried about the Abitart hotel itself.  There are good reviews online but very little in the way of youtube video footage, which is how I usually vet my hotels.

 

I'm also wondering about getting to the airport from Ostiense.  I know there are local city trains that go to the airport but doing those with all our luggage might be a pain and there doesn't seem to be a way to reserve a seat unless you go to Termini first.  There are shuttles that leave from outside the Eataly at Ostiense station that I think will serve us better.

[UKWildcatCruiser]

I'll be staying for 3 nights in Rome Feb 28-Mar 2, 2024 and want to use Marriott points for my stay. I currently have reserved the Le Meridien Visconti Rome (Prati area) but I think I'll have enough points to stay at The Westin Excelsior Rome or the Marriott Grand Hotel Flora (both in the Spanish Steps area).  At least one of these days will be touring the Vatican and surrounding area.  Thoughts on which of these would be best?

[marazul]

8 minutes ago, UKWildcatCruiser said:

I'll be staying for 3 nights in Rome Feb 28-Mar 2, 2024 and want to use Marriott points for my stay. I currently have reserved the Le Meridien Visconti Rome (Prati area) but I think I'll have enough points to stay at The Westin Excelsior Rome or the Marriott Grand Hotel Flora (both in the Spanish Steps area).  At least one of these days will be touring the Vatican and surrounding area.  Thoughts on which of these would be best?

The Excelsior is too far from all the main attractions.  See if you can use your points in the Pantheon Iconic which is in a perfect location. 

[UKWildcatCruiser]

1 minute ago, marazul said:

The Excelsior is too far from all the main attractions.  See if you can use your points in the Pantheon Iconic which is in a perfect location. 

I don't think so but I am staying there for one night pre-cruise.  But I was planning to check again about a month before.  

[Host Bonjour]

Ciao tutti!

 

Hope everyone is doing well, and if not in Italy, planning to be sometime soon (or reflecting on memories of a recent visit 😉 )

 

Thanks to everyone for making this topic so wonderful, can't believe it's up to 38 pages!! So I was wondering what the community wanted: close this, link it into a new edition, or leave it to grow a bit longer? (Too much to scroll through??)

 

Totally up to the group, so if a majority of you think let's leave it as is, we will. If not, we can do a 2.0 and link this topic at the opening of the start of the new edition so there's easy access to the original.

 

 

I'll check back in a few days, à presto. Grazie!

[PORT ROYAL]

32 minutes ago, Host Bonjour said:

Ciao tutti!

 

Hope everyone is doing well, and if not in Italy, planning to be sometime soon (or reflecting on memories of a recent visit 😉 )

 

Thanks to everyone for making this topic so wonderful, can't believe it's up to 38 pages!! So I was wondering what the community wanted: close this, link it into a new edition, or leave it to grow a bit longer? (Too much to scroll through??)

 

Totally up to the group, so if a majority of you think let's leave it as is, we will. If not, we can do a 2.0 and link this topic at the opening of the start of the new edition so there's easy access to the original.

 

 

I'll check back in a few days, à presto. Grazie!

Just a thought and thanks must go to @cruisemom42 (et al) who have supported everyone from a first timer to an experienced traveller with their little grey cell encyclopaedias, sharing honest, informative and trustworthy critiques.  Sei molto gentile, grazie!

[cruisemom42]

Grazie a tutti! 

 

I do think it's getting a bit long to scroll through, but would (selfishly) hate to see all of the relatively timeless advice about the importance of location & so on go away. Host Bonjour, if you can start a new thread but link this one and ensure that the old thread will get picked up in searches, I'm fine with that. Or whatever others feel is appropriate.