The hotel itself is fine but after reading some of the great reviews on here, we had expected something a bit better. Unfortunately when we arrived the hotel had no record of our booking (which had been made through hotels.com) the guy at reception said we were lucky that they had a room for us anyway - not a great start but at least we had a room. The room itself was very small and looking at the floorplan of the hotel it seemed to be by far the smallest double room - couldn't help but wonder if this was because they had no record of our booking. Other then that the room was reasonably clean. Breakfast was good but you had to arrive early to get the choice of everything available rather than just what was left at the end of breakfast time. However we really liked the terrace outside where you could eat breakfast - a real bonus when the sun is shining.

In terms of location, it's good because it's in a quiet residential area but be prepared for a bit of a walk into the main sites. 10-15 minutes to vatican, 20-30 minutes to Piazza Navona etc.

Also although having a stereo in your room is good - hearing everyone elses music late at night/early morning not so good!

My husband and I stayed at Franklin the first two nights in Rome and it was definitely our favorite hotel by far out of all the hotels we stayed in all over Italy. The Vatican is close by so if you're planning a visit to the city, this place is highly recommended. The staff was friendly and helpful to our every need. The room was surprisingly big and came with great amenities including surround sound audio system. The breakfast buffet was probably the best we had during our entire trip (even better than the 5 star hotel we stayed at during the last few days of our trip elsewhere). It's very modern and stylish so if you're looking for a different experience, Franklin is the place to stay.

The Franklin was the perfect choice for our weekend getaway to Rome!
It's nestled in a relatively quiet, residential part of Rome, yet all the sights are very accessible either by metro or on foot. The Vatican is really close and from there it's really easy to get to theTiber and walk along the river and cross into the "old" part of the city. Very walkable in my opinion! Plus there were some great little neighborhood restaurants literally right around the corner from the hotel which are perfect for dinner and totally non-touristy - my husband and I were the only foreigners at the two places we tried. (One restaurant, called "Piccolo Toscana", had this pumpkin ravioli which was to die for!!!)
For 30 euro/night more (155 euro/night) we booked a "blues" room which is meant for three people as opposed to the "rock" room which is their classic double. Definitely worth paying the extra money - the room is roomier AND the bathroom is just fantastic - the blue disco ball (!!!), jacuzzi bathtub, and in-bathroom speakers make taking a bath a real experience! Plus the free mini-bar is a great touch! We also loved the drums as night-stands! Generally, the room was sleek, modern, clean, and very comfortable and functional with just the right number of amenities.
The only thing lacking in my opinion was the breakfast room. While the selection of food items available is fine, the room initself and the whole breakfast "system" is not functional at all. There's only one person doing everything - making and serving coffee, clearing tables, re-stocking the buffets, and the poor woman can hardly keep up!
But that was our only gripe; overall, the hotel is excellent value for money and we had a fantastic stay - we will definitely go back!

We stayed at the Franklin Feel the sound for just one night expecting it to be flawless as described, but unfortunately we experienced some problems.
Upon arrival, our reservation made by the hotel website just hadn’t been received; luckily though there was a last room available (but we’ve been told that it wouldn’t have been available the next day). Our room was cold: we tried and tried, asked for assistance from the hotel staff, but the heating system didn’t want to work and we had to switch it off. Rooms are poorly soundproofed, which is not a minor issue in a hotel where every room has a Bang & Olufsen stereo system in it and a collection of CDs that costumers can borrow.
On the positive side, staff is very kind and really tries to solve your problems not just because they have to, but because they care. Upon arrival, when the receptionist was trying to figure out why they hadn’t received our reservation, we have been offered a free welcome drink.
Rooms are standard in size and the ones on ground floor have a small patio on the back of the hotel and some of the upper ones have a balcony. The hotel offers free WiFi internet.
The neighborhood (“Prati”, italian for gardens) is safe and is walking distance from the Vatican, but you’d better take a bus or the metro (some blocks away) to get to the city centre, it’s a short trip.
The hotel serves a good breakfast but has no restaurant though this really is a minor issue as there are two restaurants on the other side of the street, one of which is a traditional roman restaurant (“Taverna romana”).
This ‘music’ hotel is home of many italian singers as they have an agreement with Sony: that night, for example, the Aram Quartet, winners of the Italian edition of X Factor, the TV program which launched Leona Lewis, was there; the entrance is full of autographs of italian singers.
Overall, a good though unlucky stay, and I would recommend this hotel, but you’d better call for confirmation after you've made your reservation throughout the Internet.