We stayed here at the end of our Italian trip, so its shortcomings were probably heightened in comparison with our other lodgings. The room was small and had a bad odor. The staff was minimally friendly and even gave out false information like "No, churches aren't closed between 12 and 4." They are.

There's a dorm, hostel feel to the place. I expected little considering the low price, but it didn't even reach my already low expectations. The location is wonderful, steps from Campo di Fiori, and the hidden aspect of the hotel -- it's located in an alley -- are definite pluses, but I believe there are better options for the money.

I stayed at this hotel for three nights from May 29th through June 1st. It is situated close to the Campo De Fiori and Largo Argentina. The hotel is clean and the triple room had a good layout. with two beds in one area and one bed in a separate area through a hall, bathroom in the middle. The rooms are small and simple. The beds are hard. There's nothing in terms of decoration. The closets are newly buitl and very adequate, they are armoires with shelves and space to hang clothes and put your suitcase in. Small televisions in each room. The bathroom is fine, I think all bathrooms in Rome are made of marble which makes them superior to the rooms. The decor in the hotel is bare bones. The wi-fi service is only avaialbe for 5 euro per hour from the lobby, not the rooms. The terrace closes at 8:00 so we never got to see it. There is a nice restaurant in front of the hotel, trattoria moderna, which was a nice surprise. It doesn't look like much but the food was delicious. The coffee and desserts were great too. Breakfast at the hotel is okay. The service is not up to par, they really look annoyed of having to serve their patrons. I needed ice for my mother who had a swollen ankle and they said they didn't have an ice machine and to try at the restaurant in front of the hotel. There was a great shop for cheese, wine and prosciutto behind te hotel, I think the name was Rosciolli.

I had a completely different experience at the hotel San Carlo near the Spanish Steps, very attentive. Of course I paid a higher price. I would not recommend this hotel to freinds or family.

We just returned from 7 nights at Hotel Smeraldo. The hotel is located within walking distance of essentially everything in Rome. It is around the corner from the Campo del Fiore with a street lined with shops, "bars" and vendors. The hotel has wi-fi in the lobby and provides a continental breakfast in a comfortable breakfast room. The rooms are small but very clean and the bathrooms (we stayed in two rooms) were immaculate. The windows are so soundproof we never heard any noise from the streets and the AC worked great. The location is really fabulous. We only took one bus, once, to Termini; we walked everywhere else! The staff isn't overly friendly, but they were very accommodating and were fluent in English.

We recently returned from a 17 day trip to Italy. I used Rick Steves' guidebook to book hotels in Venice, Florence, Siena, Assisi and Rome. I chose the Smeraldo for location and price. We were to stay 6 nights, May 6 thru May 12. I e-mailed them directly on March 12,requesting a room. They answered promptly, with availabilty and price, advising that, "to hold the room, send an e-mail with credit card number, information and authorization to withdraw the cost of the first night". They noted that this deposit is non-refundable, even in case of cancellation. I complied, sent the credit card and info and kept a copy of the sent e-mail. A month later, I wrote to them again, mentioning the dates of our reservation and asking if they could book a day during our stay for a trip to the Borghese museum. The one-sentence reply, "Yes, we can but just when you can be in the hotel." When we arrived on May 6, the clerks had no record of our reservation and asked to see "their confirmation". I produced the 3 e-mails and replies. Then, quite rudely, they said that I should have checked my bank statement for the deposit and that I should have a specific form from them. They did quickly relocate us to a nearby hotel, which had uncomfortable beds, a very basic breakfast and a very unfriendly staff. It did not have a television or an elevator (we were on third floor...they left us to carry our own bags. We requested new towels on our third day there. The maid didn't change them but they did give me some when I went down the 3 flights to get them.