My daughters and I stayed at the Hotel Cavour the first week of August, when it was incredibly hot. One of our rooms was air conditioned, the other was not (despite the hotel being listed as air-conditioned on their web site). So we moved mattresses from one room to another so we could all sleep comfortably. The hotel was a very convenient base to all we wanted to see and do in Rome and the access to the train and Metro couldn't be better. The rooms (and baths) were clean, but the mattresses were too firm.

With the caveat that you should check the status of air conditioning in YOUR room prior to arrival, I'd recommend this hotel for the budget traveler.

We booked the Hotel Cavour through Venere.com. We were supposed to stay two nights but due to flight trouble on our side, we weren't able to make it for the first night. We contacted the hotel in the middle of the night before we were originally due to arrive. They were great - even though we cancelled about 12 hours before we were due to arrive, they did not charge us for the night we weren't there.

We arrived a day late, but we were happy with the hotel. We paid 130 euro for a room with a double bed and private bathroom. The room was small but clean. The air conditioning worked well, the window shutters blocked out all light (which is great when you've been awake for 30 hours and need to sleep), the water pressure in the shower was good. The location of the hotel was fabulous. It was about 2 blocks from the Terminal Station. We were able to use both the Metro and buses with no problem. The area seemed safe to us.

The only issue was with the lack of safes or safety deposit boxes. There weren't in room safes so we left our money at the front desk. When we came back in the evening, the money had been locked in the manager's office and no one could get it. We didn't worry too much, but it was a hassle since our cell phone was with the money and we wanted to call home. However, the manager was in early enough in the morning and we were able to go on our way happily. We'd stay at the hotel again.

Rome is super expensive especially if you want a private room. Keeping this in mind I thought Hotel Cavour was a good deal. We paid 80 euro per night, which included breakfast but we shared bathroom facilities. Massimo is awesome and lifts the hotel from average to above average. Definitely ask him for advise on where to eat etc but don't bother with the other guy we found him to be a bit rude and condescending. The room itself was average, but the bed was comfortable, it was quiet and the air conditioning in our room was really good. All in all I think you need a bit of luxury in Rome, it's hot and hard going but if you can't afford it definitely check out Hotel Cavour, you could do a lot worse.

I visited Rome with my husband and we found this hotel excellent for our requirements. Firstly it is in a fantastic location for seeing Rome as it is just walking distance from the Termini where trains/metro/buses to all over Rome can be caught. This means it is also convenient for popping back for a break/freshening up in the afternoon after a tiring day of sightseeing and then going out again at night.

The price is comparitively cheaper than most of the hotels in a similar good location. I read some reviews and got the impression area it was in was very rough. We did not find that to be the case It felt quite safe. Even at night there are lots of people about as it it so nice and warm. As long as you dont make it easy for pick pockets (as with any major city) I think it is absolutely fine.

The room we got in the hotel was excellent The bathroom suite and bedroom were neat and very clean. Both were cleaned thoroughly every morning.We did ask for one facing the court yard after reading the reviews (so there was less road noise from via cavour). Hence we could leave the window open and use the fan and the room was very comfortable at night. We also had the option of using the air conditioning which was fully functioning.

Breakfast was basic but adequate for our purposes. Again the dining room was clean and tidy. It was basically coffee, croissants and a roll. The staff were nice.

Another good thing about this hotel is that it easy to get transport from Ciampino airport (we used a coach which was about 13 euros return). The hotel is a bit hard to find but has a group heading of 'hotels' which projects from the hotel wall vertically. Through one door there is access to three hotels including Cavour. Another thing is that if you want a change from Italian food there is one Chinese and Indian restaurant if you come out of the hotel and turn right and keep walking.They are on the other side of the road.

Just a warning about one of the Italian restaurants opposite the hotel.You will know which one it is as at the top of the menu it states a15% service charge and a charge of 1.5 euros per person as a 'table charge' . Service charge is ok though it was already expensive and i would have expected it to be included (as it is in quite a few). However the table charge was ridiculous and it was a sneaky way of increasing the charge. The food and service werent even very good. They werent very pleasant when the bill was queried. This was our only not so good experience after five days in Rome. This aside,we had a wonderful trip to Rome.