This hotel is an amazing value for the money. Good location, very near the St. Angelo Bridge, with upscale rooms with marble bathrooms and a tub! Breakfast was also a bit more generous than we experienced at other, more expensive, hotels in Rome.

Having read a number of mixed reviews on the Hotel Diplomatic I had my concerns but decided to keep an open mind and I wasn't disappointed.

The hotels location has to be its main feature, nearly all of the main sights are within walking distance and for those that aren't a bus stop is conveniently situated outside the hotel entrance!
We arrived early (11:30 ish) and so in fairness hadn't expected to be able to check in.

The reception desk were extremely helpful and allowed us to store our luggage until the rooms were ready. We were told that there would be about a 20min wait and so we decided to take a walk around to get our bearings. The receptionist very kindly provided us with a map and the address of the hotel so that we would be able to relocate it!
We had a twin room (106) both the room and the ensuite were much larger than expected. The room itself came equipped with a stocked mini bar (prices same as in the local shops) TV (although only CNN is in English!) and possibly the best air conditioning ever experienced ! (something much appreciated in the 35 degree August heat)
Breakfast was good consisting of toast, cereals, pastries, yoghurts and fruit. The rooms were made up daily and the towels were changed at the same time. After about 5pm the road outside is empty and so you experience no disturbance from the traffic.

We stayed 4 nights and had a very enjoyable stay I couldn't find fault in anything. I would definitly recommend the Hotel Diplomatic.

Top Tips-

* Pre book excursions to the Vatican/Colosseum the queues are huge I used www.myvaticantour.com who offer several others. The guides speak excellent English and you are provided with headphones so that you can hear through the crowds.

* Buy a Tour Bus and Boat ticket. These can be purchased from either onboard the bus or at one of their kiosks. They are valid for 24 or 48hrs and are a great way to see the sights. You can hop on or off at any of the designated stops

* Take Bus 87 to the Colosseum it stops right outside. Tickets can be purchased for 1 EUR from any Tabacchi but are only valid for 75 minutes. Be warned, trying to get a bus back is a little less simple as none seem to head in the right direction (this is where the above tour bus comes in handy as buses come every 15mins)

* Try to eat away from the main attractions. The side roads just along from the Spanish Steps are very reasonable with a meal and soft drinks costing approx 22 Euros (this is in comparison to a restaurant near the Vatican which charged 45 Euros for practically the same)

We had a "National Lamppon" experience with the Hotel Diplomatic. After a long drive from Sorrento, and circling around the hotel/Rome trying to find a place to park to check in, we finally got into the hotel only to find out that they gave our room away because we got there after 12 noon and it was their "high season". We were furious with this and tried to reason with the manager, but he just kept saying "it's the high season" and to "look at our contract/voucher" (which we did 10000 times and it said nothing about giving the room away).. However, he was helpful and put us up in their sister hotel, Hotel Caprice, which was on the other side of the river near the Spanish Steps.

Stayed from 12-15th July 2008. I chose it because the price seemed reasonable, plus the reviews suggested a good location and reasonable place to stay. I have to agree, that it definitely scores well. The room was quite small, but this wasn't a problem for us. The air conditioning was essential, even for mid july, and it enabled a good nights' sleep and the ability to keep the windows closed, so cutting out any street noise (we were on the first floor facing the main street) and avoiding any insect bites...
Breakfast is a cold buffet, which is fine - but I didn't rate the coffee to highly.
As far as restaurants in the area are concerned, Pizzeria Roma is OK, Vito's seems a bit overpriced and definitely catering for tourists... Better off crossing the bridge and heading for Trattoria Buca di Ripetti, which is excellent, fairly priced, and catering more for trendy Romans rather than tourists. I have nothing against tourists, but the places that cater for them I feel are best avoided.