I arrived to the hotel on the evening of Saturday, September 4, 2005, and their was no room available despite the reservation had been confirmed and paid in advance 40 days before.

The hotel receptionist offered to move us to a hotel 20 metres down the road, which I found to be a Bed & Breakfast of far inferior quality. I asked for at least a same category of hotel in the area and they sent us to the Hotel Forte, where after checking in they gave us the key for an appartment five blocks away, where we had to go walking carrying the lugagge ourselves, through Rome at night after a whole day of travel. When we got there the building had no elevator and the appt. was in the third floor. Nobody was there to help with the lugagge.

I called the hotel clerk and demanded a refund or a strong discount and he offered me to pay only 50 euros back from HIS OWN POCKET, so that the issue was hidden under the carpet, of course. I refused to accept this, and looked for another hotel nearby.

This was a complete lack of respect and I'm going to request a total refund, otherwise I will initiate legal actions.

I chose this hotel based on comments about to Il Piccolo on Trip Advisor. My Girlfirend and I stayed for two weeks and we were certainly not dissapointed. In the two weeks, we could not find one single complaint. The Rooms were spotless, The breakfast was good, The location was absolutely excellent - only 2 minutes walk from the Spanish Steps and finally the staff are extremely friendly and go out of their way to help guests.

Example;

One day during our stay, I asked a male staff member at reception about how I would get to Sperlonga on a day trip. He offered to research the internet on my behalf to find out but I told him not to bother as I did not want to put him to such trouble. He rang my half an hour later and told me exactly how to get there. He had gone to the trouble to surfing the net to find out the necessary information on my behalf. I was most impressed with this level of customer service and my girlfriend and I headed off and enjoyed a great day in Spearlonga.

Anyway I could not reccomend this hotel any more. 5 out of 5.

G Hurley

Great hotel,location exellent 5 minutes to Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.We stayed in the Michelangelo room which has it's own terrace.It was nice to sit out on and have breakfast,and lovely on an evening with a bottle of vino.The room was basic,but very clean.The staff were friendly and helpful.The only fault was the jacuzzi in the bathroom did not work.We did report this but nothing was done.Would definately reccomend this hotel.We had a fantastic time in Rome!

Best thing about this hotel is it's location very close to Spanish Steps and within easy walking distance of all major Rome sights and experiences including the Vatican. During the three days we spent in Rome (three nights at the hotel) we did not use public transport at all apart from a shuttle from ciampino airport to hotel (see warning below) and taxi - hold on tight! - back.
Small reception on ground floor with very helpful staff - thanks Paulo - right next to antiquated but characterful lift. All rooms appear to be on the 4th floor with other floors used as offices and business locations. Spent first two nights in Caravaggio bedroom which, I think, is the smallest room in the hotel. Just enough space for double bed (really comfortable) and a table but it does have a decent en-suite shower room. Perfectly ok for somewhere to sleep but not particularly good for use during the day and you do get a little fed-up tripping over cases and navigating around each other. On third night Paulo arranged for us to move into a much larger room with balcony (Botticelli) and it was brilliant. Lots of space but best part was the balcony - charming, romantic and a lovely place to share a bottle of vino in the evening. The following morning we took our continental breakfast, which is served on the 4th floor, back to our room and ate it on the balcony - blissful.
In summary this is by no means a luxury hotel and doesn't pretend to be. However the rooms are very clean and comfortable and the very limited numbers of staff do a good job. Also the cost is reasonable and the location perfect. My main recommendation is that you book early and obtain one of the 4 rooms (11 in total I believe) which have a balcony - it makes all the difference. Have a look at the hotel's website ------ for more information
Few other points - Ryanair flight was great. AA Keyguide to Rome was the best guidebook I have used. Air balloon flight (tethered) in Villa Borghese park highly recommended and good value at 15 Euros per person. Watch out for Italians bearing roses and others attempting to tie coloured cotton around your wrists or in your hair. It won't be cheap! Also some shops selling wine and sweets etc do seem to overcharge (IMO) if they get the chance - warning sign is goods being unpriced. You need to be fully switched on to avoid being fleeced - as one American i met confirmed. Finally one final word of advice - if you are picking up a prearranged shuttle from the airport make sure you confirm with the driver before you get in the vehicle that they know who you are and where you are going. Not sure quite how the possible scam works but we ended up in a taxi (unlicensed?) -the driver was holding up a sign with our name on - who stopped halfway into the city and requested a 'voucher. When I said I did not have a 'voucher' the driver gave me her mobile phone and I found myself speaking to her controller who requested that I confirm my destination and pay the driver 50 Euros when we arrived at the hotel. This I did but when I demanded a receipt there was a great reluctance to provide one. Eventually, after standing on the street for 10 minutes while the driver spoke on her mobile (and had a cigarette!) I did obtain one. I think this was the only reason we avoided being charged twice. Forewarned is forearmed!