Being our first trip to Europe, my wife and I were most apprehensive about our accomodations for 2 nights in Rome before we boared our cruise ship. Found this hotel through Rick Steves, and couldn't have been happier. A polite and helpful staff, excellent location, great little room (It is Europe, had AC too), decent breakfast to start the day (Saved some Euros here), great security, within walking distance of major sites (Antiquity), transportation (Metro and Termini), and great dining. Worked very hard to keep graffiti at bay. Would stay here again.

This hotel was a real disappointment. The room was depressing, dark and poorly designed. The neighborhood was dirty and had few good stores or restaurants, it is like a little 'Chinatown' with really cheap Chinese imports on every street. The only thing it has going for it is the proximity to the train station and Santa Maria Maggiore.

We had a good stay at the Hotel Montreal. Yes, there was street noise, but you have to expect that in a hotel in a city. We had double pane windows and shutters which blocked the noise so it did not bother us. The location was close the the Termini train station. Easily walked, the metro is just down the block to go the Vatican. We are walkers so we walked to all of the other sites. The Coloseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Pantheon are walkable for most people. It was enjoyable to walk the city. The room was clean and comfortable. The staff was helpful in advice on travel in the city. The breakfast was good. Fresh rolls, breads, juice and yogurt. Typical continental. Enjoyed the small common courtyard to relax in.

We spent four nights in a double room. I was told that there weren't any rooms with two beds pushed together to form a king, but that's the kind of bed we were given. Good so far until you went to lay on the bed. Ouch! Coils were pushing up against the back. Did not make for a comfortable sleep or encourage romantic interludes. No functional drawer space so our two bags were left open on the day bed. Linens were thin, towels were thinner, and soap/shampoo were available in little packets. Toilet paper was rough, and the shower was a "Beam me up, Scotty" stall. Safe was pretty small and could hold our passports, but not too much more. We counted six pillows and we needed to use all six.

The air conditioner was fair but rattled from time to time. The place was clean and the hotel used a nice smelling air-freshener, but if you have perfume allergies, you might find it overbearing. The area was a bit dicey at night but the building felt secure. A hight light was Pasquele in the office who was a sweet heart with fun stories of encounters with Rick Steves and serious conversations about running a hotel.

The breakfast was dismal. Watery coffee, Tang-like juice, a croissant wrapped in plastic like they were purchased in bulk for the week, a hot dog bun roll....cereal, yogurt (in a rotating, slushee type cylinder), two pitchers of milk for the cereal (one warm and one warmer), some packaged biscuits, along with a biscuit with yogurt inside.

We were a block away from the Vitorrio Emmanuel metro stop. Though buses passed by the Santa Maggiore church, steps from the hotel, we never did click with any of them.
Around the corner near the department store, was a downstairs supermarket. Inexpensive way to load up on water/soda/snacks for the room refrigerator. You could get ice cubes from the front desk. No WIFI access from the room, but you could pay to use the small lobby's computer.

In conclusion, if you are looking for an economical, secure, no-frills place to sleep (although our bed very uncomfortable), you may want to consider this hotel. We paid the
Rick Steves rate of 115 euros (cash) per night. I wouldn't stay here again.