We stayed at the Grand Flora in Rome in March '05, on arriving had a few problems with one of the rooms and service but this was soon sorted by the front desk manager. She was very apologetic about the problems we encountered and for the rest of our 5 day stay everyone at the hotel couldn't do enough to help us. The rooms were lovely, the staff brilliant and the dining was superb. We had our evening meal at the hotel one evening and it was as good as any of the top restaurants in Rome { of which they are many}, both the food and service was outstanding. We had the most delicious chocolate dessert I have ever tasted { can't remember the name! }, being a bit of a chocoholic I have had many nice chocolate desserts but this one was by far and away the best ever!!!!If you stay at this hotel don't miss it !!!

I stayed just one night with my family at the Marriott Grand Hotel Flora for a quick visit to the Vatican to pay respects to Pope John Paul II. The hotel is located in the heart of the stylish via Veneto a few steps from the American Embassy and 15 minutes walk from Piazza di Spagna where you can catch the Metro that will carry you pretty everywhere around Rome. If you don’t want to walk too much you can also hop the Metro at the entrance just across the street from the Marriott going through a long underground commercial tunnel. The neighborhoods is safe and clean (the Hard Rock Cafe is a couple of blocks down the street, quite in front of the Embassy) though I recommend you to keep your eyes wide open during your stay in Rome especially if you ride the underground when it's very crowded or late at night.
Check in went smooth and the staff was extremely helpful and friendly, they were quick enough to find us a transport to the Vatican and then to the airport allowing all five of us to ride the same vehicle (keep in mind that it ain't easy to run a hotel when is fully booked in a period when the death of the Pope had catalyzed 4 milions plus pilgrims in Rome, but they did a great job pleasing everybody and working under a great pressure). The property looks fresh and new, our room was well-appointed and comfortable; my only complains are about air conditioning's efficiency and the noise coming from via Veneto (one of Rome's busiest streets); staying on the 4th floor wasn’t enough because the room wasn't properly insulated from the outside noise, if you foresee a longer stay try to ask for a quite room.
This hotel is a bit pricey but as in other metropolis if you want a decent, clean and safe stay you must pay for it (and in the case of Rome you must pay a lot).

We absolutely loved this hotel. Our first hotel in Europe was a castle in Ireland and we were not disappointed at all coming from that to the Grand Flora.
The staff was the most helpful I have found at any hotel. The rooms were very nice and clean and the decoration very tasteful. The size of the room was on the smaller size but so are most urban hotels.

I read the 2 "bad" reviews of this hotel, both of them involved overcharging for missed/uncancelled reservations.... not the fault of the guests, but unfortunately they are up against a ubuiquitous problem in European hotels... unlike American hotels, the local staff at hotel is incapable or not empowered to make spot financial decisions... this is a cultural thing I believe. We ran into a similar problem later in our trip.... but the beginning of our trip was great, cuz we stayed two nights at the Grand Flora Marriot in Rome. We booked it on Marriot 5 days before arriving, and used Marriot points because everything in Rome is expensive, and we were travelling with our 18mo old son... stroller and all, so we needed crib and extra perks, etc. We arrived Sunday afternoon, took a shared minibus direct from the airport to hotel. The staff was great, although after reading the reviews I was prepared for the cold shoulder, but as usual, trying a few phrases in Italian makes them very sympathetic and friendly... Anyway, the location is a bit away from sights, but across the street is entrance to the Metro... actually you go underground into long commercial tunnel (including grocery store for vitals), fitness center (nice, but expensive daily fee), and after you walk/go down stairs for about 1000 yards, you come to actual Metro station, but it is convenient, we took it to Vatican the next AM.

Overall, our stay was great, we asked the kitchen staff a couple of times to refill the baby's milk, no problem. The second night we went up to the resturant on the 7th floor overlooking the city and had romantic 5 course meal including wine and champagne for Valentines day, complete with chocolate and flowers. The wait staff was really laid back, they were fine with us bringing up our sleeping baby in stroller, they were really cool about it, or just wanted our money! :) Room and bathroom were perfect, windows opened on second floor overlooking Via Venata...

Ask them where to go to Mass, we did nearby on Sunday evening after we arrived, the "everday" churches are absolutely beautiful in Italy. Would definately stay again if in Rome... those were the best two nights of our trip, it went downhill from there... just read my review on the Jolly Hotel Villenova in Bologna.... :(