I am always amazed at people's expectations when I read some negative reviews. This is a lovely hotel in a 15th century cardinal's palace. We had nothing but friendly helpful service from the staff, ate an incredible dinner in the hotel restaurant, and although the rooms are somewhat dark and spartan (it was a priest's residence, remember, not Las Vegas), they are clean, have a lovely view and we found it very quiet. Also the hotel is in a great location, just steps away from St. Peter's. If you are looking for marble bathrooms, plush amenities, high-speed Internet, and glamour, this hotel is not for you. If you are looking for a historic lodging in a lovely spot with helpful staff, this hotel IS for you.

There is no doubt that the location near the Vatican is wonderful. It is a good 30 minute walk though, from the restaurants area (Travestevere) and you need to cross the river for other main sites i.e. Colosseum, Trevi fountain etc. so make sure you have good walking shoes. As said in previous reviews, the hotel lets itself down which is a real shame. Staff as helpful as they want to be. The rooms are small , dark, very basic and in need of refurbishment. One can imagine what it was like for the original monk occupants. Brighter light bulbs would help. Our room fronted onto the road leading to the Vatican which you could see when leaning out of the window. The double mattress was excellent though, being memory foam I think. You do need to take your own kettle or hair dryer. Floors are tile only so take slippers. Only 2 English channels on rather old TV, BBC 24 news & CNN news. Breakfast disappointing and appeared done for cheapness. No hot cooked breakfast available to set you up for the days sightseeing. There is internet wifi in the bar area if you have a laptop or 2.5 euros per hour for use of hotel internet computer (x2). Meals in Rome are very expensive and seemed to be pizza & pasta only. A lunchtime small cheese & tomato roll and coffee 10 euro each! A slice of pizza 8+ euros but then we were in the centre of Rome. Vatican museum is 14 euros to go in so we gave that a miss. Ideal hotel perhaps for religious groups visiting Vatican.

We were looking for a hotel in Rome - a city neither my wife or I have ever visited before, and the Hotel COLUMBUS was one of the recommended hotels on Airmles website. We backed up the Airmiles blurb with our own research and booked the Columbus for a 3 night stay. The hotel is easy to get to fom the Metro, a 10 minute gentle walk on the flat. The first impression is the convenience to St Peters Square and The Vatican - about 200yards from the front door ! The receptionist was very helpful and polite on booking in. The room was not especially large, but did have a very big bed and was spotlessly clean (room 322) The view from our window was straight onto the Via Conciliazone, which is quite a major road. I thought we might have a disturbed sleep from the road noise, but the secondary glazing was more than up to the task of keeping the road noise out. The bathroom was small but again spotless. The staff were all very helpful, very polite and always smiling. The breakfast was substantial and very good for a continental style meal. We did not eat at the restaurant as it was quite expensive, as is the bar whch we did use. There is a street about a minutes walk from the hotel ( Borgo Pio) which has a very good selection of restaurants, Pizzerias and family run eating establishments, all of which were better value than the hotel. The hotel is directly opposite the bus stop or the bus tours. All in all a charming hotel with masses of character and was more than adequate or our needs. If we ever go to Rome again, and we are planning to, we will stay here again.

I recently stayed at Hotel Columbus from Sept 13-19 2008 and before choosing this hotel I did extensive research. I have never been to Rome before and I traveled with a female friend. We were looking for a good hotel that was close enough to everything and also had some Italian / Roman charm to it. What we were not looking for was your everyday american "sheridan or Hilton" type hotel. Let me start by saying the location is excellent. The hotel is probably 3000 feet from St. Peters Basilica, The Vatican Museum, and maybe 10000 feet from St. Angelos Castle. From the Hotel we walked to the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Novenna, Spanish steps, and just about every other attractions. For the Collosseum, it is maybe a 20 -25 minute walk or you can simply walk to the subway station (5 minute walk) and take it to Termini Station, then get on the B line and take it 2 stops to the collosseum. Another thing we found very helpful was the fact that directly across from the hotel was the Hop on Hop off tour busses. You can buy a 24 hr pass or a 48 hr pass for 19 or 23 euros a person and basically use the bus as a cab taking you all around the city and stopping where you feel like or riding up top and seeing the whole city for an hr or two. Definitely worth the money. We didnt take a taxi once, except to get to the airport on our last day since it was an early flight.

Room:
I read alot of mixed reviews and was somewhat nervous, but once we arrived in the room, it was absolutley fine. We stayed in a double bed in room 410. The room was cozy, with a small window looking out towards St. Peters Basilica. The bed was a little springy but overall no problem. The bathroom, while very small shower (VERY SMALL) was very very clean and nicely tiled. There was an inroom safe and a TV that got 2 english channels. All of the front desk staff were helpful except one rather grumpy person. I didnt pay any attention to him and it did not affect our stay at all. They all spoke english very well and were helpful when we asked about how to get places etc etc. The resturant was very expensive and we chose not to eat there. There are more then ample places around the city to eat.

At night time the street infront of the hotel becomes a ghost town as the vatican city pretty much closes up. Thats no problem as when you walk out of the hotel go to the right, walk for 2 minutes over the bridge and your right in the city of rome with lots to do. Its actually really nice to come back to the hotel at night and have it be nice and quiet and peaceful. I would consider it more of a plus that it is quiet outside at night.

The continental breakfast that is included is ample to get you through the morning and a good part of the day. There is cheese, salami, bread, cereal, juice, and some other "interesting" stuff. Defintiely worth it as other hotels charge 11 euro each and more if you go outside. There is also internet for 2 euro an hour (very good deal).

Overall I highly recommend this hotel, even if you are "not looking for a spiritual location". The hotel is centrally located. Depite what the maps show, everythign is VERY close in Rome and you can walk just about everywhere. I have photos of the room and hotel and will try to post them later as I do not have them on me.

I would defintiely stay at the hotel again. And as a point of reference, I am in my late 20's as is the female I traveled with. We have traveled extensivly and have good taste and do not like cheap or crappy hotels. This was defintiely not cheap or crappy and for european hotels, I was again, impressed.