We stayed in Hotel Locarno for 2 nights on September 2008. The hotel has a great location near via del Corso and piazza del Poppolo...for someone who has never been in Rome and would love to visit the historic centre this is very important
The rooms are clean but very old fashioned...our room had a tiny tv and it was looking more like a house room converted to a hotel room..
breakfast was moderate...the staff was really bored...the food was not replaced...
Oh and the elevator was rarely working so most of the times we had to go up on foot...
hotels in Italy are expensive compared with other European countries abd especially those near the centre of room but the 250 euros per night in that room was not worth it

The Hotel itselt was ok but my credit carg was incorrectly charged rather than authorised upon arrival and then again when we left.

Initially telephoned and told that no refund could be made back to a credit card - why not?

After about 30 emails managed to get the Hotel to TT some money but amount was deducted by their bank for charges and tax.

Hotel then promised to send the remainder in cash (??) which I said they could do at their own risk and please send by International Recorded Delivery.

They never did and now emails are ignored.

Very disappointing and strange behaviour. Customer Service clearly does not translate.

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...