The number one selling point of this hotel is the location. As promised, it is literally a 2 minute walk from the Colosseum, making it very close to all sightseeing buses and other attractions.

Vincent, Barbara, and the young girl at the front desk were always helpful and providing suggestions for food and sightseeing. They were an absolute delight!!
The rooms were tiny, but neat and clean enough. My biggest complaint was the darkness. The lights were fairly dim and there were workers outside so we had to draw the curtains on the one window in the room. It was nice to have internet access, but no English channels on the tv was a drawback.

We were given coupons for breakfast at two cafes nearby. The choice was limited to a pastry and cappucino or tea. This got a little tiring after a few days! There was always orange juice, coffee, tea, and prepackaged croissants available in the hallway by the front desk which was nice.

Overall, a good experience and would stay here on other trips to Rome.

This hotel is a great value for the price due to its location that is close to many of the desired visitor destinations in Rome, like the Colosseum and the Forum. Also good for the ease in which you can learn to navigate the transportation to other places you want to view. Our hosts were wonderful, taking time to make sure we were comfortable and had cold juice etc when we arrived, they had maps, gave us instructions on the buses or transportation to catch and how to get to places. They also had fantastic suggestions for local neighborhood places to eat that were definitely delicious and easy to walk to from the hotel, which was nice after a long day of sightseeing. The internet access and snacks that were readily available for us were a great bonus. While the rooms are small, they are comfortable and clean and there is plenty of hot water in our own bathroom! We did not go to Rome to spend time in our rooms, so size seemed irrelevant. Cannot say enough about the kindness of the owners of the Arena Hotel and would definitely stay there again if we went back to Rome. Plus right up the street was a super gelatto place that was open late in the evening...it quickly became a favorite stop each day!!!

I just returned from another 9 day trip to Italy and stayed at the Arena House for 8 nights. Vincent, Barbara and the young lady at the desk in the evening are so cordial and make one feel so comfortable that I won't think of staying anywhere else when in Rome. They are always so eager to help with advice and answer questions. The Arena House is located close to most major sites as well as metro and bus transportation links. I hope to again be in Rome in November and will certainly be staying at the Arena House. The location is very quiet being a few blocks away from busy streets and businesses. Rooms are clean and comfortable and the pc in each room is a definite advantage. Snacks set out for the guests are certainly welcome after a long day of sightseeing. I would certainly recommend the Arena House to anyone visiting Rome.

We are a family of four that just enjoyed four lovely nights at the Arena House, and we enthusiastically support the other positive reviews on this site. Vincent and Barbara made us feel like family from the moment we arrived, and the location several hundred meters from the Colosseum meant that we were exploring the ancient heart of Rome within minutes after our Sunday morning arrival. We enjoyed the coupons for breakfast at a local coffee shop, which got us immediately into a Rome state of mind. Barbara helped us out by making the obligatory advance booking at the Villa Borghese (don't miss it--spectacular!). The Arena House is literally within two blocks of several key bus stops, putting all of the city in easy reach. You can also walk to the Colosseum metro stop, but we would definitely recommend the buses... the subway cars were packed and it was a challenge to get aboard. The main Rome train station, Termini, is a little over a mile from the Arena House. We walked there and back on several occasions pulling small rolling suitcases, and it was no problem at all; the walk is actually quite enjoyable and takes you past some ruins and the Santa Maria Maggiore church (where mass has been celebrated every day without stop since early in the sixth century!). The rooms are plain, no question, but they have a computer set up for complimentary internet access, and there is a table set up in the common hallway with tea, coffee, juice, and snacks all day and night. Finally, we managed to leave a cell phone charger and razor charger in the room when we departed back to the states, which Vincent promptly mailed to our home after we realized what had happened and notified him by email. Enjoy your visit to Rome; we sure did!