This is a hotel that trades heavily on a retro, art nouveau appeal and on its proximity to Piazza del Popolo and the shopping streets of Via del Corso and Via Condotti. To my untrained eyes the art-nouveau heritage is limited to some idiosyncratically shaped windows, a gloomily atmospheric bar and the world's oldest lift cage. The rooms themselves are relatively small and rather charmless as is the breakfast room if al fresco breakfasting is not a possibility. Bar staff and the front desk team are friendly and helpful and the room rates are acceptably modest for such a great location. However, it is this location that is the hotel's greatest strength.

Since my last visit the hotel has acquired an adjacent building so doubling the number of rooms giving access to this most glorious corner of Rome. The Borghese Gardens are no more than a stone's throw away; The Tiber itself is at the end of the street; Caravaggio's work in Santa Maria del Popolo is no more than a five minute walk away.

We will certainly keep returning to The Locarno and enjoying the access it gives us to all these riches - without diminishing our own significantly.

Double check in advance if hot water is availalble just in case they forget to let you know...

I have just returned from a spectacular 3 night stay at Hotel Locarno in Rome. Our room was spotless and comfortable, which is exactly what you need after a busy day walking around the city. Included in the price is a very filling buffet breakfast (served in the courtyard) and they also have an excellent lunch menu which is very good value for money.

We had some problems with our lost luggage and the staff at reception was very quick to help us with our problem. They also gave us lots of information about local restaurants and city tours...without this help we definitely would have been very lost! We chose this charming hotel for its individuallity and we appreciated that we were treated like individuals.

10/10 for Hotel Locarno...we hope to return some time soon!

We recently stayed at the hotel for three nights and I can honestly say that the property leaves a lot to be desired.

I've stayed at the Hotel Locarno twice in the past five years and generally had a good stay. The hotel itself is beautiful, if a little worn, but the rooftop terrace and the courtyard are lovely. The breakfast is generous and the location couldn't be better for exploring Rome or shopping.

But the property seems to be in decline, despite all of the write-ups it keeps getting in the travel magazines.

The elevator in the older building seems scarier than its been in the past. Could be because the wood floor appears to be breaking up and there are definitely soft spots in it.

During our stay, the air conditioning didn't work. We had to open the window of our first-floor room at night to get a breeze, even though that also let in a lot of noise from the street below. We were offered no compensation or even an apology from the mostly female front desk staff, who were collectively a surly bunch.

One morning, when turning my key in and asking about a taxi, one of the women at the front desk said abruptly that she couldn't understand me, turned on her heel and stalked off. The other lady at the desk looked somewhat apologetic and told me that "You're accent is hard." I'm from Indiana. A Midwestern accent is hard?

Moving on...avoid Room 113 whatever you do. The bathroom smells terrible. We didn't want to investigate too closely, but the problem appears to be that there's absolutely no ventilation in the room. I think there's some sort of mold issue.

Finally, if you're tired and think to yourself, "I'll just go grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants across the street," be wary. We ate at the restaurant down the street (not the one directly across from the restaurant) and when we got our bill, the waiter short-changed us by 10 euros. I didn't notice it until later, but my companion thinks that he did it on purpose.