We recently had reservations at the Sofitel Rome for a five day stay during May. The location seemed perfect ( Via Veneto ) and the pictures on the website were beautiful. Upon check-in, we knew that it was doubtful that we would stay. The staff at the front desk were very welcoming and professional. The room however did not meet the promise of the pictures on the website. It was very worn, small and most important unbearably hot. Not warm but very very hot. The room had to be at least 85 degrees. I can not imagine anyone staying at the hotel in any warm month. The bed was beyond hard and uncomfortable. Friends who had previously stayed at the Sofitel tried to discourage us from staying there but we thought they were being a little to unreasonable. They weren't. It would be impossible to sleep with that bed. When we went down to the front desk, again they tried to be helpful and accomadating but when the air-conditioning system is grossly inadaqute and the hotel in desperarte need of an upgrade, their options are limited. They offered to change rooms but were honest in acknowleging that all the rooms would be the same throughout the hotel. Again, the staff tried to be helpful but there was only so much that could be done. We were very happy with the newer hotal right up the street. It was everything we hoped the Sofitel would be

I reserved this hotel for our first anniversary. I reserved the hotel for 3 nights about two months prior to our travel. After doing a bit of research, I thought there might be better hotels in Rome to stay at. I returned to the Sofitel website and saw a special offer called "Exclusively Yours". This offer included amongst other things - transportation to and from airport, bottle of champagne on arrival and breakfast. Rather than try another hotel, I canceled my reservation and re-reserved at the higher rate.

A couple of days before traveling, I called to confirm and was told I did not have the package "Exclusively Yours". The hotel refused to accept proof by e-mail, leaving me with a reservation that could only be canceled with a penalty. Not only that, but the reservation was at the higher rate.

Rather than burdening my pregnant wife with last minute changes to a hotel and the challenge of fighting a charge to my credit card, I decided that we would continue our holiday without the package. I have to say that reservations were borderline rude and completely unacceptable of a supposedly 5* hotel. I even courteously contacted Sofitel directly, but they didn't bother to reply.

Our stay was also a disappointment. Although the concierge and door staff were friendly enough, there were a number of things that I would not expect of a 5* establishment. A shower that leaked all over the floor. Food that was left out in hallways on trays all day long. Small rooms with tiny TVs (not that you really need to watch it). The bed itself was clean, but the linen was a bit coarse and the bed sagged to each side. This made us feel a bit like sleeping on sinking ship. And, despite claims of sound proofing, this is simply not the case. Noise could be easily heard from the street (although a quiet street, they come and take away the trash quite early) and from the hallway.

That said, the AC worked well and the Hermes soaps show a bit of class.

The bar on the 7th floor has a nice view. But you can get the same views elsewhere (a few metres away is the Hotel Eden with a better view). There is no bathroom on the 7th floor, so you either return to your room or go to the basement (where they stuck the restaurant) where there is a single toilet (per gender). Also, prices starting at around EUR 13 for a Coke are bit silly.

The last thing is the neighborhood. It's quiet and nice, although you can never quite escape the wagon loads of tourists, but it's on a hill. Which after walking around a lot during the day and in the evenings, can be a bit of a pain to come back to.

For the high price, I know there's better out there.

Staff were delightful. Room very good. Not sure if it is quite 5 star however even if your not staying, go have a drink on the rooftop terrace. Its really pricey however the view is incredible.

My husband and I recently stayed at the Sofitel in Rome for just one night. We were currently staying in an apartment in Rome but were unaware of of a loud rock concert to be happening for the entire day and night right by our apartment. In addition to this I had come down with a mild case of food poisoning from earlier on our vacation and needed to rest. We decided to get out of this area and searched for the perfect place to rest and relax and pamper ourselves. After much searching and comparing on the web we decided on the Sofitel. For Rome, it's location is super much better than many of the other luxury hotels in the same area. It is on a relatively quiet street with views of the Borghese Gardens. When we arrived we were treated impeccably and had amazing service from Mossimo at the front desk and everyone else we came into contact with. We also had a very special evening in there lovely restaurant. While it was practically empty, we found the service to to be so endearing and thoughtful, Ramona and Francesco did a wonderful job. The food was wonderful and they treated us and the presentation as if it were the most important thing in the world. We had a great time and will definitely stay with Sofitel again in Rome or other cities we travel too. Thank you Sofitel for a wonderful one night retreat.