Based upon the positIve reviews on Trip Advisor, I booked two nights for my wife and I at the Mecenate Palace Hotel on Via Carlo Alberto in Rome. The room was the smallest I have ever seen. It was about the width of two double beds and in length it was one or two feet longer than a double bed. The one double bed in the room was placed against the wall. The bed had a sagging mattress which rolled you toward the middle of the bed. The bathroom had a stall shower for which you could not open the door inward because if you did, you could not get in . It could be opened outward only about half way, maybe two feet wide, because the shower door then hit the edge of the toilet. I don't know how a large person would have been able to get in to the shower.

The hotel indicates that it has an elevator and it does, however the elevator only goes to the 5th floor and the dining room is 25 stairs beyond where the elevator ends. This was a real problem as my wife has a walking disability. Because it was a Sunday night and there were no open near by restaurants, we ate at the hotel. The food was over priced and was less than mediocre.

The hotel is also located in a run down area.

They charge 5 Euros for internet access and this was the best part of the stay. I used it to book another hotel for the second night we were scheduled to stay at the Mecentate Palace Hotel. Because we had booked on the internet and pre-paid, we were not able to get a refund for the night we did not stay. When the travel website on which we had booked the hotel later contacted the hotel on my behalf to ask if they would give us a refund, the hotel said they would not. All in all, the worst hotel experience I have ever had and I travel quite a bit.

I stayed there for 7 nights. Booked a single room, but they gave me a double room. The room was still so small, I couldn't believe it was for 2 people. The bathroom was nice size with a big tub. The closet was big enough for me, but probably not for 2. Ask for a free upgrade to a larger room when you check in, like I did. It's worth a try. The bed was very comfortable, and the sheets were super clean each day. The room was very quiet with the windows shut. The bedside nightstand was too dim to read in bed. Bring your own light if you want to read in bed. Breakfast was OK except for the coffee. It must be instant coffee. It tasted really bad. If you're a coffee lover like me, forget their coffee and go to Illy's next door for a cup of cappuccino (only 1 euro). There's a PC (no printer) in the lobby. They charge you for the internet connection, but the rate was reasonable. I only checked my emails each night, and the total for a week came out to be only 3 euro. It's a very good hotel for the most part, and I recommend this hotel to first-time visitors to Rome because it's within the walking distance from Termini and the hop-on/off buses stop right across the street from the hotel. If you wanted to get back to the hotel by taxi after all-day sightseeing, all you have to say to the taxi driver is "Santa Maria Maggiore". No need to explain the location of the hotel. This hotel is very convenient for first-timers. The downside is that the hotel is not right in the heart of the city, so you have to take some form of public transportation between the touristic sites and the hotel. After a few days, it starts to feel like a waste of time going back and forth each day. And there is no good place to eat in the neighborhood, so you have to have dinner elsewhere before coming back to the hotel each night. It would have been nice if there were lots of restaurant choices within the walking distance. I am glad I stayed at this hotel this time, but when I go back to Rome for the second time, I will stay near Pantheon so I can walk to everywhere and save time/money getting to/from the hotel.

Four friends stayed in this hotel in May. Staff very friendly and rooms clean. One room more spacious than the other but both with great views of the Cathedral. Towels were changed every day and lovely fluffy dressing gowns in bathroom. Free use of safe in the rooms and tea and coffee making facilities. Breakfast in the roof terrace was really good. Tea and coffee at breakfast was always cold, (only complaint)View from terrace great.
Handy shops and restaurants nearby.. small supermarket accross the road and downstairs from the ice cream shop to the left of department store UPIM. Bus from the airport to Termini only cost 8Euro. Taxi driver tried to charge us 30euros from Termini to hotel but it is only a five minute walk.
Would not hesitate to recommend this hotel.

We traveled to Rome with our two children who are 5 and 3.5 years and stayed at the Mecenate Palace. I wasn't sure what to expect based on a few reviews but it really was so much better. We had stayed in very small hotels in Rome, pre-kids, with small rooms. The lobby was spacious and our room was perfect for the 4 of us. No, we weren't running laps but it's relative to Rome. The kids played on the bed and floor and the bathroom could fit all of us if necessary. When we pulled the curtains, the room was dark, which is always a bonus. There's noise but it's Rome! We were close enough to Termini to walk to it but far enough to not feel like we were amongst an element. The hotel staff were all friendly and recommended a restaurant called Angelo's Pizza which was perfect. We were near a grocery store as well as a beautiful church (Santa Maria Maggiore). Every day we hopped on the Metro and went some where different. I'm sure there are other hotels which are bigger and maybe better located but we were really happy with it. And it was a 4 star hotel which means it really was quite nice.