I stayed at the Grand Hotel Gianicolo in late August for 4 nights with a friend. My overall impression of the hotel was excellent, despite a few teething problems at the beginning of our stay.

We arrived late at night and pretty frazzled due to a long journey to find we had been allocated a double room, despite asking for a twin - not a good start. I must admit, if I had had to stay in the double room for the entire stay I would not have been happy - the room was tiny and had a view of the breakfast room roof !
However we reported this to the concierge at reception and he allocated us a twin straight away. This room was far better, with a jacuzzi bath no less, and a view of the gardens. It was also much more spacious.

Apart from that our stay was fantastic. We found the hotel staff to be extremely friendly and helpful (especially Marco the concierge and Enzo the breakfast waiter). They directed us to bus stops for all the major sites and provided us with a very helpful map to guide us. The hotel is located in a residential area quite a way from the centre, but to be honest we found this to be a bonus. It was quite nice to return to a quiet area after a full days hectic sightseeing ! Plus you have the best view in Rome literally on your doorstep (so good that even tours stop off to see it). The only thing lacking in the area was restaurants, but we found we were staying out in the centre until at least 7pm so we had our evening meals there where there is an abundance of eateries.

There was a bus stop a few metres from the hotel which took you directly into the centre of Rome. We bought a 3 day bus/train/tram pass for 11 euros but found nobody checked the ticket even once ! (not that I'm advocating not buying one !). The busses were frequent and the journey only took about 10-15 minutes. Even the bus drivers were extremely helpful. If you ask, they will let you know when you reach your destination, although it's better if you can learn the phrase in Italian as most don't speak English. We didn't find it a problem to get around at all. The 44 and 75 bus routes are the best for getting to and from the centre. Learning a smattering of Italian is a definite bonus as many people only speak a smattering of English and they definitely seem to appreciate your efforts (no matter how rubbish they are !).

The breakfasts at the hotel were absolutely superb with a fine range of breads, cakes, pastries, fresh fruit and vegetables, yogurt, spreads, cheese, ham and of course fresh cappuccino (which you have to ask for incidentally). We ate so much at breakfast we didn't really need lunch !

The pool is the perfect antidote to the Roman heat and was mostly empty. We booked a taxi to the airport on the last day which, although expensive at 55 euros, was very comfortable and made for a stress free end to the holiday.

I would definitely recommend this hotel and will be staying there again next time I visit Rome. I think it's extremely good value for a city hotel with a pool. The only thing I would say is take some ear plugs - the walls are paper thin and you can hear everything that's going on !

We would not recommend this hotel, especially for first time visitors to Rome. Here are our reasons:
1)The hotel is located at a very busy intersection; walking around it is very difficult and potentially dangerous due to the bliind corners.
2) It is too far away from the major sights. We were told that we were a 10 minute walk to Trastevere and a 15 minute walk to the Vatican Museum. It took about 20 minutes to get to the part of Trastevere where there were a significant number of restaurants and shops. The Vatican Museum would have taken about an hour along some very busy roads (with little or no sidewalk) that cross back on each other as they wind down the hill. For the Vatican, it's not so much the distance but the busy street and the lack of sidewalk that would make the walk unpleasant. Also, the walk down -- and back up -- the hill is very steep. Some guests were having trouble with it, so unless you're in good shape or plan to take taxis, this is really not a good choice.
3)The hotel contracts with at least one taxi service that starts billing you from the time the hotel calls them, which adds about 5 euros to your total bill.
4)The front desk staff reception was poor, with no introduction to the hotel, information about breakfast time and location, etc.
5) As of June 2006, there was no food service at the hotel (other than breakfast) and the rooftop garden/bar was deserted -- no furniture, etc....
6) There were very few people at the hotel. It had an odd, deserted sort of feel.
We would not stay here again, and after this stay decided that it's better to pay a bit more to be closer to the city so that you can enjoy evening strolls through lively piazzas and walk by the beautiful floodlit monuments of Rome.

We very much enjoyed our stay here. Bedroom and bathroom were a bit on the smaller side but very clean and nicely decorated. Note to all travelers: TAKE EARPLUGS! The walls were extremely thin, to the point where you could hear every move your neighbors made in their rooms (yes, I mean EVERY move...). Also, the hotel is located on a rather busy street and automobile noises could be easily heard until late into the night. There were not too many nice restaurants within walking distance, so you may want to plan accordingly with meals. However, a short (10 minute) walk on a busy street with no sidewalks will get you to a fabulous restaurant called Scarpone. We highly recommend this restaurant. There is a bus stop a short walk from the hotel which will get you anywhere you need to go in Rome. All in all, this hotel was wonderful - great breakfast, very helpful front desk staff, clean, and upscale. It is also set a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the city and so it was refreshing to escape back to the hotel after a long day of busy tourist spots. Enjoy!

Stayed here for six nights with hubby-no kids very recently. The hotel, pool, corridors, public areas, breakfast room were absolutely, immaculately clean and well maintained. Some of the staff on reception I felt though were quite aloof and not very helpful at times when we were enquiring where a newsagent and small supermarket was. Perhaps they just wanted us to spend our money in the hotel! The room was tiny and only had a shower despite previous email requesting a bath. They may have changed it had I requested on arrival but we arrived past midnight and were too tired to do this. The breakfast was of a variety friuts, meats, cheese cereals juices etc, nicely presented and plenty of it. Fresh cappucinos etc were made at request and hot chocolate too. The gardens were well kept. The hotel is situated near the old wall near the Gianicolo Park. A long but scenic walk to the Vatican or Trastevere where the bars and restaurants are. On an afternoon rest we found out the walls are paper thin. You can hear EVERYTHING and they can hear YOU so bear this in mind. Would I stay again? Most definitely. a beautiful, traditional, old hotel that has been looked after with love.