Before booking any hotel, I carefully read all reviews. Having travelled quite a lot, I tend to pick up the statements that are most consistent throughout the reviews to pinpoint the actual facts instead of personal opinions. This usually gives me a good idea of what to expect. having read all the reviews of Hotel Galeno, I felt it safe to book the room through Lasminute.com.
Firstly, the rooms are cheap. I booked a double room for 5 days, including a weekend, and ended up paying £180, including breakfast. I thought this was quite cheap, and as such, didn't expect any great luxury in this 2 star hotel.
We found the Hotel very easy to find. On the main road, there are signs pointing to Via De Villini, on which the Hotel is located, and we didn;t ecperience any troubles getting there either. It is a 15 minute walk away from the Termini station. Hacing seen the picture of the front gates and the path to the front door, we found it very easily. The front door you see from the gate is the entrace to the block of flats, but there were signs at that door pointing to your left (left side of the house) where the entrance to the hotel was. We were early, checking-in time is at 14.00, and we arrived at 11-ish, but the staff at the desk happily asked the cleaners to do the final clean up while we checked in. All the staff spoke great English as well.
The room itself was not small, I'd call it cozy, or homey. It was clean, very clean in fact, the bed was comfortable, there was a telly wit the basic Italian channels (but who goes to Rome to watch telly in a hotel, really!) and shampoo samples, soap, two sets of clean towels and lots of spare toilet paper. It was obvious the room was old, but it was comfortable and big enough for two people. The toilet had a shower (which had a showercurtain which could be pulled in front of it, the space was not big but it was used well) a toilet, a basin, a sink and a mirror. Also, our towels and shapoo and soap got changed / refilled every day, our bed was made everyday and the rubbish taken out. The cleaning staff don't speak much English but you don't really get to see them, they are very discreet. We didn't have a hair dryer, but every time we asked for one from the staff, they happily provided one.
The room did have green, fitted bars in the window, but these didn;t bother us. You could still open the windows and they were there for our protection, the window opened to a courtyard that was also used by the people who lived in the flats above.
Having left our grear to our room, we asked for a place to eat. they recommended this great restaurant (where we ended up eating every day, the value for money is great [pizza = €7, pasta =€6 etc. and the service is awesome) and gave us a map to the city and also giving us some valuable adise on where to eat, what to go and see, and most importantly, what to avoid.
Breakfast was good in my opinion. It's not a buffet, you sit at the table and the staff wiull bring you a tray of goods. You get to choose between coffee, tea or hot chockolate, and also you are provided with a white roll, yogort, a sweet croisant, juice and pre-packed melba toast. It kept us going until lunch time easily, and we like to eat! The toast itself proved to be a good snack to take with you if you decided not to eat it at the hotel.
The location itself was very good too, it was off the main road and therefore quiet. It is located close enough to the central to either go by foot or to take the metro, which is also quite close. We weren't bothered by people in next rooms, either we had really quiet neighbours or the walls were not paper thin, but we also had a good nights sleep. There also is a small market close by and the previously mentioned great restaurant.
In conclusion, I would say Hotel Galeno is a good value for money and a great place to stay. The staff speak English well, and those who do not (the cleaners, and some of the breakfast staff) speak enough to get understood. Always remember that in Italy English is not spoken as commonly as in some other countries. The location is brilliant for rest and for access to central. If you are looking for a luxury hotel with too much space and for some strange reason plan on spending a lot of time inside your hotel room while in Rome, you might want to look elsewhere. Otherwise, it is a great place. I will definitely go again.

P.S A bit for Finnish people:
Hotellissa on toissa aivan loistava suomalainen tytto, joka on painonsa arvoinen kullassa. Loistavat neuvot ja hyva tyyppi! iso kiitos avusta!

Had a great stay at the Galeno, staff were very courteous and polite, will be staying there again when we next visit Rome. Cafe Palledio, 2 minutes from the Galeno is also worth a visit, very friendly staff. Thanks to all who made our visit to Rome a very pleasant one.

we stayed here for 5 days and had good service. Hotel is close to Termini station, you can take the 90 express bus and drops you off at Porta Pia. Hotel is 1 block from there. Also, the 36 bus drops you off at Porta Pia stop too. Bus costs 1 Euro, and buy the ticket from the magazine stand at the station or in front on the corner. Make sure you valid ticket once on board bus with the yellow machine. The room is very small, and the bathroom is even smaller. The shower is a challenge because its VERY small. However, they serve breakfast every morning and is close to bus stops. Also, there's a little market down the street to pick up goods at local prices. The service was good, room was clean. For our trip is was perfect, since Rome has so much to do, we hardly spent any time in the room. For the price, it's a place to be considered. We had no problems with our stay.

Stayed at the Galeno with my daughter for three nights during the Thanksgiving holiday. Location is just ok...reasonably close to a metro - but quite removed from restaurants/shops. Quiet location (which was good). The room was small and 'dingy' - but clean. A lick of bright paint would improve what is a very small space. Our groundfloor room had bars on the window - so the concern was escape in the event of an emergency. Fortunately - no problems in this regard! Bed was comfortable and additional bedding was provided instantly by a very helpful and cheerful cadre of staff (probably the highlight - they even put up with our very rudimentary Italian efforts). The room had no luxuries (TV was free to air - no English channels), but my daughter's request for a hairdryer was, again, immediately met with a loaner. The breakfast was ok. Simple - but enough to sustain until an opportunity arose to hit the pastry shops of Rome!
In summary - for the dollars paid - the Galeno is good value. While I understand the need for security - I'd have felt far more comfortable with a quick release on the barred windows. If in Rome again I would probably jump to other digs - but if your package (and dollars) steers you to the Galeno it's not as bad as some portray.