"That's your hotel up ahead," the cabbie said as we headed down a narrow Roman strada.
"You mean the one that looks like a prison?"
"Yes," he laughed. "That one."
"Do they issue numbered jumpsuits along with the slippers when you check in?"
Seriously, this is one strange looking hotel. At night, the rooms are framed in multicolored, neon lights which give the facade of the place an incongruous "Hollywood Squares" look. You expect to find Judy Jetson sitting behind the odd reception "desk" which is actually a cloth-covered (and rather dirty) donut-shaped enclosure lit from within. The staff and engineering personnel (our air-conditioner wouldn't come on) were all gracious and willing to help but I have never encountered such a badly-designed hotel room. Like others have said in their reviews, the tub was in the center of the room, enclosed by frosted glass, seriously cutting down on the square footage. In many hotels now, the air conditioning and lights come on when you place your room card/key into a slot inside the room and turn off when you remove it. In this room, hanging off the wall like a collapsed lung, was a ilttle inflatable egg-shaped fabric lamp like nothing I have ever seen before. When you enter, this lamp turns on and a small interior fan begins to inflate it until it becomes about the size of a small, glowing pillow. It serves no useful purpose but to be annoying, as you can't read by it, and the whir of the electric motor is constantly keeping it inflated. I'd have to say that this lamp kind of symbolized the entire Radisson/Rome experience for me. Modernity sans comfortability. The hotel sits on the edge of central Rome in a neighborhood just in back of the main train station. There is a gritty feel to the area, and graffiti is everywhere. However, graffiti is everywhere else too, so don't let that swing your opinion. If you can get a good rate, I'd give this hotel a shot. Otherwise, I'd spring for something along the Via Nazionale where you will encounter a more pleasant environment. There is one big redeeming feature to this place - the rooftop pool area. It is nicley designed and relaxing. There is a bar up there too. I suggest downing a couple of shots at the pool before they take you to your room.
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