We needed a hotel for one night, as we were just passing through and wanted something close to the train station. Previously, we had stayed at the Guibileo, just across the street, which we really liked, but they were full so we settled for this one despite less-than perfect reviews and prepaid it through an agency.
When we arrived at the Hotel D'Este, we were told that the hotel was fully booked and there was no room for us, even though the receptionist had a document on her desk with our booking clearly shown on it.
She said that the problem was the agency's fault because the booking was received too late (a total crock as I had booked at least six weeks earlier) and all the rooms had already been filled. It was a case, she said, of 'first come first served'.
We knew this to be a lie. For one thing, it was still afternoon and also another couple arrived after us and were able to check straight in.
They would not give us a room, but sent us by car to another hotel they own (The Repubblica) which is so basic that it felt more like a backpackers hostel than a hotel. I had avoided booking the Repubblica because I had read reviews of it which were almost all bad. We've stayed in some pretty grim places in our time, but not at these three-star prices!!
I guess the only way they can fill the Repubblica is to overbook the D'Este and then 'walk' the hapless guests like us who turn up with pre-paid vouchers. Obviously, the only people who get to stay at the D'Este are those who have not pre-paid, who have booked more than one night and are thus more likely to walk out if not treated properly.
These people own the D'Este, the Repubblica and the Augusta (next door to the Repubblica and looks like another fleapit). I suggest you avoid all three.

Whatever you do, don't book this hotel.

When we walked in with our daughter in her buggy, the woman on reception rolled her eyes, which should have warned us of the experience to come.

To cut a long story short, the infant cot we booked wasn't available. The only member of staff on duty was rude, aggressive, unhelpful, and refused to contact the manager or any other person who could be of help. She refused our use of a telephone so we could contact BA through whom we had booked the hotel, despite the fact that we had pre-paid for a room which hadn't been reserved for us. On asking her name so that we could talk to the manager who she said would be on duty the next morning, she said, 'what are you, the police?' and refused to say.

There was no apology for the lack of cot and the only comment was 'well, your daughter can share your bed'. When we said we weren't happy with this, she literally threw the pre-printed voucher at us and told us to go elsewhere.

The air conditioning in the room didn't work but we really didn't want to have to face this woman again, despite temperatures in the late 30s. The lift was tiny and up some steps, so I would advise anyone with any accessibility needs to avoid this hotel at all costs.

We don't think we were rude, and were in fact trying to help find a solution to the extent that I went to look round the hotel on her instructions to try to find a cot. Her attitude was completely unwarranted and spoilt our very short stay in Rome.

We booked a 2 night stay at D'Este Hotel in Jan. 2007 thru a travel agent in Naples. The Hotel is conveniently located 5 minutes from Rome's main Termini train station and also a short 5 min. walk from one of the metro lines, which made it easy to get across town to see the Vatican/Sistine Chapel sights. Colosseum/Forum/other ancient Rome sights were about a 15 minute walk away, and there were restaurants nearby. If you are looking for a smaller, European-style boutique hotel in a good location at a reasonable price, D'Este may be perfect. Our room was clean, comfortable, had cable TV and a private bath with tub/shower and hairdryer. Nothing luxurious but completely comfortable for a 2 night stay. Nice buffet breakfast was included in the rate. Front desk staff was helpful & spoke excellent English which was nice since our Italian was very very basic.

The location of this hotel is good. At some point in history, the building itself must have looked quite nice as well. And we had a nice view from the balcony. However...

The english proficiency of (all) the desk staff depends on their current mood, which was usually bad. The breakfast , if anything, may help to improve your jaw musculature. One of the foldable beds in our "twin" room was slanted, squeecky, and way too short for me. I switched hotels, and found a cheaper and much nicer hotel.

What is most depressing is that the desk staff and manager obviously dislike working in the hotel as much as I did staying in it.
To immensely improve the service, I suggest to exchange the desk staff with the cleaning staff, who were always helpful and friendly!