My girlfriend and I have just returned from a 4 night stay at the Sofitel and cannot complain about the hotel, the room itself or the service received.

Reception Staff - very helpful indeed, especially pointing out where and how far away the main attractions are on a map.

Room - Prior to our visit, other reviews on TA did not fill us with much hope but we were extremely surprised to find a fairly large room by most European standards. I do not know what a lot of those reviews are complaining about - you cannot expect one of the oldest cities in the world to suddenly throw up 30 storey modern skyscraper hotels with all the mod cons - it does not fit the location, heritage or culture!. Great room, always kept clean, nice touch with the amaretto biscuits everyday (very yummy!). I agree it is slightly away from the main attractions so you do need very comfortable shoes but its a 10 min walk from the Spanish Steps and we found most attractions easily accessible from here.

Tips for your Visit:
1. Comfortable shoes a must - metro doesn't bring you out right on top of alot of the star attractions but we found by walking you stumble upon hidden secrets (i.e. fountains and piazzas).
2. Do not book the vatican tour through the hotel - waste of money - the guide was more interested in rushing us through the vatican museums to the sistine chapel then letting us look around on our own for 20 mins with no real information from him then constantly reminding us that St Peters is the biggest church in the world. If you want a tour guide get one outside -they tend to be students/ scholars of art/ history who know a lot more!
3. If landing at Ciampino - do not use the Terravision coach - 12 euros return seems a bargain but not with the 1.5 hour wait first then its a fair walk to this hotel as it drops you off at Termini Station. Pay the 30 euros each way between the airport and your hotel.
4. As you can expect, food and drink near the attractions is expensive - if your trying to save money look a little further away first.
5. Before you go, it is well worth buying the Dorling Kindersley guide book (logo is the letters DK on an open book) - especially if your guide is not very informative at the Vatican!

Enjoy your stay!

The hotel in itself is beautiful: nice building, cosy and luxurious atmosphere, very good service, gorgeous terrace overlooking the city and the gardens of Villa Borghese.
However, it takes quite a while to walk to the closest attractions (Piazza di Spagna / Villa Medicis) or get to the closest public transportation (unfortunately public transportation is not the main claim to fame of the city...)

The room was nice (even though we had no view as it was facing the courtyard), well decorated and included an antichamber which gave the impression of a little more space than it really had. The bathroom was nice and clean with great amenities.

Unfortunately, the terrace was not used (too early in the season - 1st week of March). We did not have breakfast in the hotel as we felt its price was prohibitive at 25 €. There are plenty of bars in the area where to have breakfast (though we would advise to avoid the cafes on Via Vittorio Veneto which are tourists traps.

Overall, it is a good address and we would recommend it.

I cannot understand why this hotel was rated as a luxury 5 star hotel. The room was very small and the bathroom was small and there were spots of dirt around the bath and toilet that had not been cleaned from previous use.. We stayed here for 4 days and the conditions were cramped. I know we stayed in the cheapest room which Iwas £180 per night without breakfast but having stayed at 5 star hotels in the past, I expected more. The promised roof top bar was not open and unless you were over 6 feet tall. once you sat down you lost the view. Breakfast and the restaurant were situated in the basement with no view at all. The bar area was beautiful and the servvice was good but not to be able to take advantage of the views was very disappointing. I wouldn't stay here again

We stayed for 4 nights booked through Greenbee we had a good deal getting 4 nights for the price of three. Because of the high cost of breakfast and drinks we only used the hotel as a sleeping space (breakfast 25 euros, coffee in the bar 5 euros) We had booked a superior room but it was not very large but adequate for 4 nights. The bathroom was a fair size with all you need including 2 shower options. The huge bed was very comfortable and the linen was very good, the towels were thick and fluffy not all hotels of this standard give you the linen you expect.

The desk staff were helpful recommending a local restaurant for our first night and booking top rated (tripadvisor rating of course) restaurants on other nights for us. They were also helpful booking Galleria Borghese.

The hotel offers complimentary internet access in a quiet back room.

The hotel is reasonably quiet for Rome and the double glazing cuts out all the traffic noise. The air con worked very well.

There is a small cafe on the way to the Spanish steps which offers a Roman breakfast i.e. pastry & coffee/tea for 7 euros for 2.

Be careful if you are going to the Vatican museum the cafe opposite the entrence grossly overcharges if you have to use it ask the price as they will treble the cost if they think they can.