I stayed at the Visconti Palace hotel from 19/06 to 23/06 2009.

The hotel is situated in a predominantly residential area to the west of the Tiber close to Castel St Angelo. The pictures of the outside of the building on this site and on expedia have been photoshopped a little, the external facade is a bit dated but the interior is reasonable.

I booked through expedia and got a good rate which averaged ou at about £90 per night which given the location was the best rate that I could get by miles.

The location is great:

15 minutes walk to St Peters
10 minutes to Piazza Navona
10 minutes to Pazza del Popolo

Most of the popular tour buses stop either at Piazza Navona or St Peters.

The hotel has good sized rooms with comfy beds and big bathrooms (the tub was ok size but a little small for soaking). TV is an old style CRT screen with limited channels but I wasnt in Rome for the TV!
This was my first trip in Europe, I usually go to the US, but I felt the hotel information within the room was lacking, most hotels have brochures or folders explaining the facilities - the best source of info in this hotel was the advert within the lift

The roof terrace is great with plenty of seating space and good sun until 7pm at night.

The communal areas are reasonable - the bar is pretty small and bar staff were not very friendly, the food and drink was expensive as it seems to be everywhere in Rome.

The included buffet breakfast was very good, plenty of choice.

The front desk staff weren't particularly friendly on the day before I checked out I asked if there was a computer that I could use to print a boarding card for the flight and was told I could use the TV based system within my room, when I tried to explain that there was no way to print from this I was met with a blank look, I also asked if the hotel were able to book transfers from the hotel to the airport and was told they could book a taxi or private car only, no shuttles,etc. Given previous experience of dodgy taxis within Rome i decided to use the nearby Metro station to transfer to the main Termini stazione (1 euro) and got the da Vinci Express (11euro)

The housekeeping staff were excellent.

I had the choice of staying here and a couple of more business orientated hotels on the outskirts of Rome and while being close to the attractions was nice, if I booked again I would be tempted by cheaper rates more facilities (e.g. pool) at the other hotels.

Positives:

location
beds
bathroom
roof terrace
breakfast
housekeeping

Negatives:

price of food & drink
bar and front desk staff
dodgy advertising pictures
communal facilities (no pool, small bar, no real restaurant)
poor hotel info in room

This is the best hotel in Rome for the price and the location. We chose it based on previous reviews in tripadvisor. This is a modern, clean, comfortable, and conveniently located in a quiet neighborhood close to the Vatican. The rooms are very cozy, quiet, big and clean . Bathrooms are spotless and spacious with a good size tub. The breakfast was amazing with great service (they make you any type of coffee you like at no extra cost!). Staff at the breakfast room was extremely friendly and greets you with a smile and a nice "buon giorno". This hotel is perfect if you don't mind to walk. It is about 15 min. walk to the Vatican and about 30 min. to the Spanish steps. I don't recommend you to take the subway since it is one of the worst in Europe (dirty, unsafe and limited routes). A few blocks from the hotel you can find nice shopping and good choice of restaurants not for turists. Rome is extremely overpriced so avoid eating at places near attractions since food is terrible and way too expensive. Avoid sitting in the outside tables since you will be charged 12% plus there is a minimum consumption. Hight speed is extremely expensive. At the end of the long day of sightseeing it was nice to come to relax at this hotel.

We chose this hotel after reviewing many, many places as we were looking for the most central location for our long weekend in Rome but one that would be open to children. This place sold us when we read they offered milk and cookies, bathrobes for children, babysitting, and books -- sounded like the perfect place for familes.....on a high note, the breakfast was excellent, location was perfect, and the rooms were very clean. BUT on the down side, we were two days into our trip and never saw any of these amenities and finally called downstairs to inquire. It only resulted in a coloring book left for us after the cleaning staff cleaned the rooms. Also, we asked for a sitter in advance and was offered the daughter of one of the hotel staff who did not speak English. We decided not to go this route as we did not want someone caring for our son who could not call us and communicate if there was an issue. We were dissappointed they would offer this service on their website and not have something more professional set up. Also, to have rented a business suite and STILL have to pay 15 Euros/day for internet seemed ridiculous to me. Service was very slow -- whether it was getting the DVD player to work or calling for extra blankets, we had to usually call twice. The staff was friendly but that doesn't excuse the poor service, and the fact that I had to wait 30 mins in the lobby after a long flight b/c my room wasn't ready even though I had emailed well in advance to tell them I would be arriving early. Would likely stay again in this area but at a different hotel.

Just returned from a 3 day weekend trip and the Visconto Palace Hotel is what you would expect for a 3 plus - 4star hotel ( Irish Standards ) Fully air conditioned, spacious rooms, clean, friendly front desk staff ( not a norm apparently in Rome). Fresh bed linen and towels each day and comfortable beds.
The hotel is located on the west side of the Tiber River, 5 minutes walk from Castelo de Angelo, 10 minutes walk to St Peters square and 10minutes walk to Piazza Popola across the bridge in the historic centre. Located in an area which appears to be a business area, a few shops, cafes , restaurants adjacent to hotel. All land mark sites within an easy 20-25 minute walk. Bus to city centre close at hand from Piazza Cavour, 15 min bus ride to Colosseum. Buffet breakfast , hot and cold , scrambled eggs, bacon , cold meats cheese, freshly squeezed orange juice, choice of bread rolls and pastries , very good generally only negative point is the coffee ( personal taste love lavazzo and coffee was not good) Free apples at reception to keep the hunger pangs away. Contemporary roof terrace with comfortable sofas which serves buffet lunch in the afternoon, cannot comment on the lunch as did not sample it our selves but other guests did.
Taxi ride to Fuimincino airport €47-50max ( set by authorities in their licensed whiote taxis).