We got one of the executive rooms with a balcony overlooking Via Cavour with a view of some of the Forum in the distance. With the exchange rate being as it is, this hotel was expensive, especially compared to what you get in the states for a similar price, however I can't say it was out of line with prices for comparable hotels nearby. The breakfast was very good, just make sure they seat you in the smaller dining room as there was more to offer in there. The location was definitely central to all of Rome's most popular attractions. Also, just as a note, internet was five euro for thrity minutes.

My boyrfriend and I were spending the first 2 nights of our Italy vacation in Rome before catching a train to Florence. So I began researching the best location/value so that we could get the most out of our short stay there. Since we've never been to Italy before, we decided on staying in Old Rome and picked this hotel based on past travel reviews, the price/value and it's proximity to the Coliseum (just a couple blocks away) and Palatine Hill.

Location: We weren't prepared for how perfect of a location this hotel was for us! We arrived at night and were starving so after a quick and easy check in (and a glance at the large room) we collapsed into chairs at the little cafe next door and received a second wind from what was the best food we had ever tasted (as we continued on the trip, everywhere we ate seemed to surpass the previous restaurant). Then we walked down the block to take pictures of the Coliseum lit up at night. Another plus- the train station, where we needed to board our train to Florence, was right up the block (no need to spend $$ on a taxi or deal with your luggage on a bus).

Hotel: The rooms were huge, clean and had luxuriously comfortable beds. Great air-conditioning and it was fairly quiet - the street noise wasn't bad and although were in a room next to the elevator, the noise still didn't bother us. The morning breakfast was quite good (eggs etc, in addition to fruit, cereal and bread choices)

In summary, for a medium priced hotel in a great location (especially for first timers) we couldn't have asked for better.

We had a great stay for 3 nights at the Palatino. The staff was great. Breakfast was good enough. Location was super (2 blocks from Coliseum.) Our friends had some of the older rooms and were quite dissapointed. We had some of newer suites which were huge, brand new and stylish! Overall it's a good value and good choice.

We booked the Grand Palatino Hotel after a great recommendation from a family friend. The hotel lived up to all of the wonderful things we had heard. The location is great- literally 3 minutes from the Colosseum and 10-15 minutes walk from Trevi Fountain or Termini Station. It is also just down the street from the Cavour metro stop.

Our room was right in front of the elevator which always makes me nervous and we were on the front street-side, but I never once woke up from either noise. The hotel has double-pain windows which kept our room quiet and cool with the powerful AC.

Breakfast was good, but be sure to beat the tour groups. One morning we slept in (around 9am) and the smaller dining room was full so we ate in the tour group room. There was less to choose from, it was very picked over and the service was sparse. We learned our lesson and never had that problem again.

We had a great stay and would definitely recommend this hotel.