Hotel Filippo Roma

We were kept waiting outside for about 5 minutes after ringing the bell several times without an answer. Then a younger Asian man from the hotel staff opened the door without speaking, and we had to find our way up to the 2nd floor and locate the hotel. Once inside, it felt extremely secure: there were separate key tags for the building, stairwell, hotel, and our room. The hotel was quiet, rooms were cleaned daily, the AC was great, and I didn't see any bed bugs, mold, or cockroaches, even after stripping the sheets to check. It's about a 20 minute walk to the Colosseum and affordable, so I'd recommend it for a slightly more budget-friendly visit to Rome. I gave it 4/5 instead of 5/5 because we were asked to pay €20 as a “tax” on arrival, despite having already paid it with the original booking. We also didn't have a TV in the room even though we'd paid for one, and there was no breakfast available in the morning though we'd paid for that too.

The location is accessible, with train and bus stations nearby. For the price, the stay was okay. The standard room was really small but clean. The TV didn't work, and the toilet flush was broken, worked poorly most of the time, and took 3 hours to refill. The small refrigerator in the room made a loud noise. In the common area there was a vending machine with complimentary coffee, tea, milk, and other things, but its food tray was always empty. There was also a tiny balcony in the common area. Free WiFi had a quiet decent speed.

The location was the big positive. It's close to the terminal we relied on for transport, so we saved money by not needing taxis. We could walk to the Colosseum and there were lots of stores around. On my first visit to Rome, the area felt sketchy when we arrived, though there were no issues with the convenience. We were there for a 2 night stay before our cruise. I don't like that this operates more like an air bnb than a hotel. The building is old, which didn't bother me much, but the lighting throughout was so dim I could barely put on makeup. The room itself was bare, but nothing too bad. We went out for the evening and returned late during a power outage. The police and other city workers were handling it, and the outage lasted until 3 am. Since the room uses an electric key card, we couldn't get in. I contacted the manager on what's app to ask to be let in because we saw a key hole entry, but he never picked up. My husband and I were stranded on the corner in the middle of the night, so we were glad the police were there and extremely nice. The manager didn't respond the next day either when I asked about checking out, or later that morning when I tried him again. If it's in your budget and convenience matters, go for it, but ask for a key in case the power goes out.

The location was very strategic, about 5 minutes' walk to Termini station and 15-30 minutes on foot to major sights like the Colosseum. The place might seem a bit dodgy at night, but nothing happened during my stay. My room was neat and clean, with a comfortable double bed just for me. I was moved to a different building from the original location, but the staff handled it very efficiently.