I visited Rome for a 5-day trip with friends and found this place as a way to save on hotel and also see what else Rome has to offer other than the central area.
First, the hotel is situated about 10 miles out of the central city. The location seems calm, local and residential. A few restaurants (a Cuban, a Pizzeria, and an italian) are nearby. Definitely worth the short walk.
There's really no need for renting a car as the Hotel offers a shuttle at 50 cents (euro) to several transportation centers, including the subway. Also, a block away is a bus stop and its very easy to navigate in them buses. A bus pass is only 1 euro (for 75 minutes) and also covers the subway.
The staff speaks English and are extremely helpful. They can connect you to any type of tour or service. The rooms are good. They are clean and comfy, yet small. The beds are small and very close to one another but they are comforntable. Each room offers a flat screen tv, but very few channels and the only American channel is CNN, which can be boring after 5 minutes. Also, the internet isn't too good to use, but if you're desperate, try it at 7 euro for 24 hours.
The restroom is fine in space, however, the shower has no shower curtain and you depend on a glass than only covers 1/4 of the shower space, so make sure you place lots of towels on the floor because you'll splash lots of water during showers.
The biggest flaw at this hotel is the food. We ordered room service once from the hotel restaurant and the food was terrible. However, the hotel offers free breakfast every morning and that at least taste good.
Well if you do want to visit Rome and would like to see what people in Rome are all about and save money while you're at it, then stay here. The place is nice and away from the fast-pace central part of Rome. Just understand that it takes at least 20 minutes to get to the inner city from the hotel using the various transportation methods.

Take advantage of the city tours offered. They are usually 19-20 euro for 24 hours... pay 5 euro more and get 48 hours. They are hop-on-hop-off, so they are very convenient and they cover areas not reachable by subway. The buses come around every 20-30 minutes, so they give you plenty of time to visit every destination and in Rome there are many, many spots to visit and take a ton of pictures.
The City is beautiful and rich in history. Also, every salesperson and souvenir stand speaks and/or understands english, so visiting Rome is a simple task for any American.

I took my first trip to Europe during Easter Week 2008. I arrived on March 18 and left on Easter Sunday. There was definitely both good and bad about this hotel.

First, the good: Communications via email directly with the hotel prior to my arrival were wonderful. They were prompt with answers to all of my questions and were quite polite and accommodating.

I asked about transfers from FCO and they arranged for Rocco Lavarone to pick me up and then return me to the airport. I don't recall the price, but I was traveling on a budget, so it must have been reasonable. I have to say that it was wonderful to have Rocco waiting with the Hotel Sign for me as I got off a long and uncomfortable flight, which arrived a little early. He was very personable, spoke English very well, and was full of information on what we were passing, what to do, etc. I HIGHLY recommend Rocco! His business card says "ryderrome.com", but I haven't looked at his website.

Upon check in, things went smoothly. There was no problem with my early arrival and the room was waiting for me, but they were aware I'd be there well before formal check in time. The hotel NEVER seemed crowded to me during this popular week, but maybe I was coming and going at "off hours".

The staff, however, was not "thrilled" with my arrival nearly as much as I was! There was a definite "distance" with them.

I decided to celebrate my finally getting to Roma by ordering a drink at the bar off the lobby to take to my room while I settled in. I asked for Rum and "Coke Light". I have never seen such inefficiency in my life for such a simple thing. The bartender couldn't figure out how to pour the rum! It wouldn't come out of the bottle, so I suggested taking the pourer off assuming the cap hadn't been removed, which she couldn't manage. I ended up with 8 ounces of Coke Light for 4 Euro. At the time, exchange was a whopping USD $1.60, so this was a very expensive little non-drink!

The toilet took some figuring out.. you have to push BOTH buttons on the wall for a flush. Make that a TURBO FLUSH. Water pressure was very good! Otherwise, the room was exactly as shown on the website. Spotlessly immaculate, cleaned every day (my diary indicates one day the room wasn't made up by 2:30PM, however), and spacious by any standards. The furnishings and all amenities were of very contemporary and thoughtful design as well as of high standards and quality.

I knew ahead of time about the door to the balcony and asked for a handle, which they gave to me for my entire 6 night stay. I didn't have to call each time I wanted to open the door. Do this at check in and you won't have a problem at all. Balconies are all just one long veranda with just a waist high metal pole diving each room's space. NOT private by any means, but every time I stepped out, I was completely alone... not much balcony action in March. If it were summer, though, I wouldn't be thrilled with the communal balcony.

The roof terrace would be wonderful in the summer, but again, I was there in March, took in the vista, and went back to the room. The pool seemed like it would be very nice in the summer as well.

I had a ticket to see the Necropolis at the Vatican the day I arrived, which I made in very good time via the shuttle to the Metro. The shuttle ran about hourly in the morning, with only 2 returns in the afternoon before switching to the downtown schedule for the evenings. I was always one of maybe 4 or 5 other guests, so the shuttle was fine.

HOWEVER, do NOT be even one minute late for the shuttle either way! The driver is VERY punctual and waits for no one! I missed the time by only 3 minutes and had to sit on the curb at the Metro until the next one one day. They should put some benches around the Metro station! The day I had a ticket to the actual Vatican, I missed it by less than 5 minutes and had to figure out the bus situation on spur of the moment to make my tour. VERY unpleasant. The driver is not an extraordinarily pleasant man, but he got me where I had to go.

That first night, I was exhausted having arrived, getting to the Vatican, taking a tour, and then making my way back to the hotel, so I took a look at the room service menu. OUCH! An easily finished steak (I'm a woman, so not the appetite of a linebacker), a small "garnish" of rocket salad and some cold breads (no butter) was 25 Euro. At the exchange of $1.60, I vowed this would be the only room service item. The mini bar was ridiculously expensive (I think it was 6 Euro for an airline sized spirit) as well, so I stayed out of that and opted for Vino from the market down the road... Only 1.70 Euro for a nice bottle of Merlot! WATER was more expensive!

The complimentary breakfast was adequate, but the same every day... Scrambled Eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits, breads/rolls/pastries, juices, cold cuts and cheeses. Several times, the hot foods were only luke warm/bordering on cold at best. Quantity didn't seem a problem, but I'm an early riser and was always there at the start of service.

My internet service didn't work (7 Euro/24 hours) even after having "The Guy" take a look at it. They were kind of rude, implying that I was doing something wrong and were "put out" by having to come take a look. Turned out "The Guy" couldn't make it work, either. After a few days, they suggested I change rooms, so I packed everything up and waited. And waited. Then, "The Guy" came back and miraculously, the Internet worked. I think they gave me 24 hours free for the inconvenience. It was VERY unpleasant to not be able to check in at home when I wanted to, but Massimo offered his office computer to do so. Since it wasn't truly urgent, I didn't want to put him out of his office and declined.

The movie "Grease" was playing on Pay Per View. For TEN Euros! Is that crazy or what? That was over USD $15 for a decades old movie that most have seen a zillion times already! TV was a disappointment. I think only 2 English (news) stations (CNN and Europe MSNBC). Once you watch the news cycle, though, the repetition will drive you mad. I was forced "in" on my last day due to rain, and was glad I had The DaVinci Code to finish. Watching the Italian soap operas was funny, though. You don't need to know what they are saying to find amusement in their overly dramatic theatrics.

My bill (I prepaid the entire stay for a discount) with my "extras" on it was off by 59 Euros. It took quite a conversation with Reception to straighten it out. I was holding my receipt , folded up, and the Receptionist (Ana Maria) practically grabbed it away from me for "proof" of the charges. It really made me quite angry that she would just lunge for something in my hand while insinuating I was a liar. She left a very bad taste in my mouth with her attitude.

If you can stand the confinement of the Shuttle schedule, this hotel is great for the price. However, a VERY accurate watch and the willingness to take a little time to get to the sites is mandatory if you are counting on the shuttle service. It wasn't horrible, but it was confining and uncomfortable at times if you had to wait at the Metro station for any length of time. The Metro (Line A), by the way, was very clean, dependable, and easy to use. If I can use it after a 10 hour flight on my first day in Roma, anyone can! Line B isn't as nice and new, but efficient nonetheless. I didn't see any sort of crime, petty or otherwise, during my many Metro rides. I NEVER used it alone after dark, however.

Summarizing, VERY clean, very modern hotel, with adequate breakfast. Location in the neighborhood isn't convenient if you want to walk to dinner somewhere. I arrived after a 20 minute walk at the Sunflower restaraunt (recommended by front desk) at 7PM and they weren't even open yet. Front desk should have known and revealed such a thing as they watched me head out the door. Plus, it was dark at 7PM in March... kind of a creepy walk alone when it got to be much further than "5 minutes" from the hotel. I probably shouldn't have been so bold to walk alone after dark.

Front Desk personnel (Ana Maria, specifically) and Shuttle Driver could use some etiquette lessons, charm school or something similar.

TIP: There is a "strip mall" across the street from the pool. Go there in the morning to get some nice fresh fruit for the room. Also, there is a Pharmacia there for the basics. I liked that I could get an asthma inhaler without a prescription for only 4.50 Euro without having to shelp around trying to find one. Finally, there is a nice little "deli" there where you can buy things like salami by the pound and other snacks for the room.

To do it all again? I'd probably stay closer to the City Center or at least very close to the Metro if site seeing was the purpose of the trip. I found location to be this hotel's biggest drawback.

This hotel is simply too far from Central Rome. Although it is modern and clean with rooms that are larger than typically found the remote distance from central Rome makes it a very poor choice. The hotel's website claims it is a 15-minute drive to central Rome. Not so! A cab ride (cost=40 Euros) will take 20 to 30 minutes. The hotel shuttle, a 15 minute ride to the second last subway station on the Red line, runs on a limited schedule. If you use the shuttle you will still have a 20-30 minute subway ride to get into central Rome.

The hotel is located in a residential area. There is a small grocery store and bar within a couple of blocks. You will need to take the hotel shuttle to the subway stop to find other shops/services.

The hotel's restaurant offers a very limited bill of fare. There is no concierge service and no gift shop or store from which newspapers can be obtained.

The Internet service is marginal. If you brought your laptop with you the Internet connection will work. If not, you use the pay-to-use Internet On TV service. The daily charge is comparable with other hotels. However, the Internet On TV service is extemely frustrating for anyone with any Internet experience.

The staff is okay but will not go the extra yard to help you.

Excellent hotel for the price! Huge spacious room, nice breakfast. Very comfortable. Only downside is the location. It's only 10km from the city center and 4km from Ciampino Airport, but the public transport is pretty unreliable, especially at night.

Hotel shuttle bus is a great idea, but not as convenient as you might think:
To/from Ciampino Airport only 2 trips a day at 1100 and 1730
To/from Cinecitta Metro station every 1-2 hours from 8.20 until 1800
To/from Piazza Venezia in the city - 2 buses at night

Getting to the hotel from Ciampino
Taxi - 30 Euros, only 5 minutes (try bargaining - I got it down to 20)
Shuttle buses to Termini station 6 Euros per person (SIT shuttle), then take Metro Line A to Cinecitta, then bus 654 getting off at Via Siderno (all for 1 Euro) - 1.5 hours

To/from the city centre, take the hotel shuttle to Cinecitta metro then take the metro into the city. Alternatively, take bus 654 to/from Cinecitta metro or 664/663 to/from Arco di Travertina metro. The bus stop is only about 100m from the hotel. At night, the buses are VERY INFREQUENT, coming only every 30-60 minutes!