My husband and I stayed here for 6 nights in October. First impressions were that it was smaller than I expected. There is a reception desk and some seating which was taken up with bales of towels. However the reception staff were efficient and helpful. It has a lift which only takes 2 people comfortably but it works. There are lots of narrow corridors and steps up and down to get to our room(76) on the 4 th floor. It was a great size - had everything we required, airconditioning, full size bath and fantastic shower, all the usual toiletries, flat screen TV. It had 2 very large windows which overlooked a courtyard and was very quiet at night which was just what we wanted. A Tea/Coffee making machine would be great especially as there was no bar/coffee shop in the hotel but I understand very few of the hotels in Rome offer this.
The Breakfast was basic but adequate - cereal, juice, bread rolls, croissants, yogurt and some pastries wrapped in plastic. Fresh fruit seemed to be just banana and mandarin oranges. Space in the breakfast area was very limited. Tables were far too close to one another. Definitely not a place to linger.
It was on a very narrow street which had lots of cafes with tables on the pavements. We sampled some of them and they were fine but dont expect haute cuisine.
The location was spot on for the metro which was about a 5minute walk away as was the Spanish steps. Everything else was within walking distance. Our hotel was just one street away from the very expensive Via Condotti. All the design houses had shops there.
Overall we were very happy with what they had to offer. Staff were quite friendly once they got to know you, especially the porter.

Thanks to all the Tripadvisor reviewers we booked The Hotel San Carlo for 3 nights in Rome. The hotel is situated in a small streets about 4 blocks from the Spanish Steps. Our room was in the "annex" building, which is around the corner from the hotel address. The room was a double, spacious and clean, with a small bathroom and an even smaller shower - prefab, one person shower - no problems, because the location is perfect. Very quiet at night, hard to believe since all the streets are so crowded during the day - lots of good restaurants to chose from - the restaurant across from the hotel - Toto - expensive and not very good - you can do better by walking around the area. The hotel offers breakfast every morning, cereals, yogurt, coffee, juices and pastries. The breakfast are is small, but we always found a table to sit at. The lady who serves breakfast was very nice. Overall, the Hotel San Carlo is a good hotel to stay in Rome.

I stayed at the Hotel San Carlo with my husband and 8 year old daughter for 8 nights in August 2009. It was an absolutely perfect location near the Spagna Metropolitana station and the Spanish Steps. We had a room that had two separate bedrooms so our daughter could go to sleep without having us pretending to be asleep in the next bed. The only drawback was that her room did not have an air conditioner unit but it did have a fan. Unfortunately there was not an electrical outlet in the room so her door had to stay somewhat ajar to plug in the fan. That was actually good because when the door closed, it locked and we did not want her to be locked in. In spite of these minor annoyances, it worked fine for us.

The hotel is on a very quiet street so it is surprising tranquil for its location. The breakfast was fine (breads, cereals; no fruit or meats) and the cappuccino was great. We would definitely choose the San Carlo again.

Ramona was awesome. Stayed 3 days and didn't want to leave. Warm, quaint hotel with modern amenities. They made us feel very welcome which is unusual in today's world. Extremely helpful for getting us everyplace we wanted to go including making reservations. Left our pillow there, e-mailed them & they had it waiting 2 weeks later. As a single mom with 20 year old daughter it was extremely important that we were in a good safe location. For the price & only a 3 star we were really happy! Thank you for everything 'Hotel San Carlo'! Great complimentary breakfast & cappuccinos’ too!