We stayed at the Columbus Mar 7-10, 2009. The hotel is located 200 yards from St.Peter's Basilica. You can walk (25-30 mins) to the centre of Rome, e.g. Trevi Fountain, but may need to get a taxi back, as it can be tiring. A taxi would cost circa 15 Euros one way. An alternative is to buy a hop on/off bus ticket - the buses stop right across the road from the hotel. Haggle for a 48-hour ticket - we got ours (19 Euros each) for the same price as the 24 hour ticket.
At night, the area around the hotel is very quiet, with limited restaurants in the streets opposite the hotel. Again, it may be an option to walk to the centre for dinner and getting a cab back. We didn't try the hotel restuarant for dinner as it looked like it would cost circa 70 Euros per head.
Our room (416) was spacious and clean, and looked out onto the central courtyard - so was also very quiet.
The continental breakfast was excellent and sets you up for the day!
The staff at the hotel were always friendly to us - I often find that being polite and friendly yourself pays dividends!
Overall, we had a very pleasant stay and my only reservation over using this hotel again would be its non-central location.

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.