My husband and I stayed at the Viennese for five nights in October 2005. We found it thorough Opodo, who we thought was a reliable travel company, and we were quoted a price of 82.50 euros (£57.50) per night for a double room (including breakfast), which we thought was average for a mid-range hotel. On the Hotel Viennese's website the rooms shown look a reasonable size, but we were very disappointed to find that our room was tiny - really it should have been a single room, but they had fitted a double bed in it, with one side of the bed against the wall. This meant that one of us had no bedside table and had to climb over the other person to go to the toilet, etc! There was also no external window in the room, so no natural light or air came in. There was a window above the door which opened onto the corridor, which we could not shut, and through this we could hear every noise from the corridor and from reception, including the loud telephone and door bell, which seemed to constantly be ringing. The bathroom has been modernised, and despite being small, was functional - although my husband and I are both slim and we struggled to get into the shower cubicle, as the opening is so small, and getting out of the shower could be dangerous to anyone with problems with balance, as there is a steep step out of the shower onto a slippery floor, with nothing to hold onto. However, the rooms were very clean.
Another disappointment was the breakfast - you are given a voucher in the morning to get breakfast at the cafe next door to the hotel. We never managed to succeed in having breakfast there, as there are only a couple of tables in the street or you have to stand at the bar and have breakfast standing up. Each time we tried to have breakfast there the tables were either occupied or it was raining, so we couldn't sit outside. I'm not sure what the breakfast entails, but if you don't mind standing up to eat it it will save you paying extra for a breakfast elsewhere.
If you book through Opodo make sure you take a copy of your bank statement or credit card statement to prove to the hotel that a deposit has been taken. We had a lot of trouble with the concierge, who insisted we pay another 82.50 euros, which we knew had already been deducted from our account, but we didn't have our statement to prove it to him. We ended up paying him the money (in cash - which he insisted upon), intending to sort it out with Opodo when we got home, but then he decided to make enquiries and eventually did return our money to us. However, his attitude did leave a nasty taste in the mouth.
The location is good for people arriving by train, as it is directly opposite the Termini Station. I had read before we went, that the Termini area is a bit seedy and I was worried about crime, but it is no more seedy than any large station in any city (beware of pickpockets and beggars), but we didn't feel in danger at any time. The hotel is a long way away from the touristy part of Rome. We are keen walkers and found it took about half an hour at a brisk walking pace to get from the Piazza Navona area to the hotel - there are buses and taxis, however. We did find one nice pizza restaurant about 10 minutes walk from the hotel and near it there is a big hotel with a nice, but expensive, bar - the best restuarants and bars are in the more touristy area, so if this is important to you, you might want to consider finding a hotel nearer that part of Rome.
The Hotel Viennese is a good hotel for people who are only staying in Rome one or two nights and want to be near the station. It is more suitable in facilities for back packers and budget travellers (although the price of a room doesn't suggest that).
