I booked this hotel knowing in advance it was going to be a nice experience. I was in the last portion of a 10 day business trip to London, Paris and Rome and wanted to treat myself to a nice hotel centrally located in Rome. At 726 Euro per night, the price tag is well worth what you will save in headaches, long walks back to your hotel and what may be one of the most lavish experiences you will have.
It was what I expected and then some. To begin, the location could not be better to walk around the old part of town, it is at the very edge of the Piazza della Repubblica, on Via del Babuino, one of the main shopping streets in Rome. This is the most expensive area to live in Rome, the hotel gardens and all the inside rooms face the gardens of the Palazzo Borghese, so the back drop is scenic. A short 5 minutes walk on the same Via del Babuino and you are at Piazza Spagna. Walk one block down and parallel to it is Via del Corso, another main shopping street.
The hotel stay and the concierge personnel made up for the nightmare I was going through, my luggage did not arrive with me. I flew Alitalia from Paris and they lost both pieces. I am back in the US and there is still no news about it. The concierge personnel (Alessandra, you must say hi to her, she is just fantastic, and Giusseppe who had a great dining suggestion after another) did what they could to try and locate my luggage, which meant calls to Alitalia every couple of hours.
I got upgraded to a great studio room facing the front of the building, room 510. Linen sheets, silk draperies in muted colors, authentic pieces of art and clean contemporary furniture with an ode to the 40's made the place an oasis, I did not want to leave that room. The bathroom all outfitted in white and grey marble with shining polished chrome fixtures has just the perfect size and perfect lighting. My room particularly was very quiet, even though it faced the street.
Upon arrival I dined at the garden restaurant, quite pricey (90 Euro for one person, 2 glasses of Pinot Grigio) under the stars, lit by candles. It was so quiet you could barely hear the murmur of the conversations in the tables around. After a flight and what i was going through, it was exactly what i needed.
The lobby and hallways are decorated with original engravings and sculptures placed strategically, the effect is both theatrical and inspiring, clean walls, clean floors devoid of rugs and 16 feet ceilings confirm you are walking into a historical building that had to be preserved at all costs.
My check in process did not take more than 2 minutes, the check out process the same. Upon leaving I left a shirt to be laundered which the concierge staff sent back to me at home at no charge to me even though I had specified a courier account they could use.
I will definitely make this my only place to stay in Rome, the level of service, the impeccable condition of the building, the halls and my room made for an unforgettable experience I want to bring my partner to share next time I visit this city.

This is a very distinctive property. The hotel feels like a modern Italian villa but is located in the heart of the city near the Spanish Steps. Staff are very attentive.

The rooms are perhaps small for the price but are well furnished and the public areas are lovely. Food is overpriced.

Beautiful Hotel, excellent service, superb housekeeping, room service, concierge. Excellent location.

We were upgraded to a suite on arrival. We stayed on the second floor. The Hotel is noisy, not from street noise, but noise from construction in the spa (we didn't know about this in advance) and carts etc going through the halls below seemed to reverberate through the walls. There was also some jack hammering going on a few of the mornings. I guess they've got to do construction type stuff at some time during the year. Even with ear plugs, I had trouble sleeping. The beds are a bit stiff as are the sheets unlike other 5 star hotels where I've stayed -- if you like this style, no problem.

The Hotel is also amazingly expensive, especially for Americans with weak dollar -- simple tossed salad 18 Euro approximately $27. Ouch.

Loved the Hotel, the location, but probably would look into other options until the dollar recovers and would also seek to book a room on a higher floor.

Our first stay at a Rocco Forte hotel and having seen the brochure and the website we were really excited at the prospect. We booked the third most expensive suite (Popolo) which overlooks the Piazza del Popolo and after all the hype, we were distinctly underwhelmed! So much so that when we were shown to our suite we had to ask if it was indeed the Popolo Suite! The modern decor was pleasant but all much smaller than we expected. The bathroom - far from being superior - was small with a shower within the bath, no separate shower!! Very poor. We suggest they take a look at the Spirit Suites at Gleneagles in Scotland if they want to know about superior bathrooms!!

The roof terrace overlooking the Piazza was large and furnished with a table and chairs plus two recliners. However this lovely area could not be used during the heat of the day because there was no umbrella or awning to shelter one from the sun. We wanted to relax and read on this terrace and indeed have our breakfast there as shown on the website but it was not practical. (When breakfast did arrive it was on a trolley and there is no way that could have been lifted over a large step onto the terrace). When we asked for an umbrella we were told it would be done while we had lunch in the courtyard. However upon returning to our room after lunch nothing had been done. We contacted the desk only to be told that they could not put umbrellas on this terrace because it was on the city side of the hotel. This was the main reason for booking this suite so we could relax in private - a complete waste from every point of view! When we complained we were told nothing could be done but that the manager would arrange for an awning to be put up for guests in the future!! Great!!

"The striking landscaped garden" - as quoted in the brochure is certainly an attractive area to dine and a calm oasis from the noise of the city outside but the umbrellas were filthy and birds landing on the tables were a big problem. The Secret Garden is very small with very few places to sit and read/relax and we didn't see a single butterfly!!??

Not value for money. A big disappointment. We will not go there again.

Fintys