Hotel Anfiteatro Flavio

The person at the desk was friendly before the room issue came up. They let us leave our bags and use the bathroom before check-in. But please double-check every detail in the listing. We chose one apartment because it specifically showed an elevator, the one amenity we absolutely needed while traveling with my elderly mother, who can't manage stairs. Our room was on the third floor with no elevator, and there were only two beds instead of the three pictured. The listing photos weren't of the unit we got. As I showed the manager the word “elevator” right there in the listing, he kept insisting it didn't say that. He wouldn't cancel our Booking reservation or refund us, so I had to take it up with my credit card company. Don't trust their listings.

I'm not affiliated with this hotel. I want to respond to two of the recent reviews first. Tom D, the hotel does have an elevator and it works fine. The staff can't cancel a reservation through Booking.com, so it's best to book directly with the hotel. Jessica K, you stayed in an apartment across from the hotel and booked through a third party. Those units aren't part of the hotel; they're owned by separate people who advertise using its name. As for my stay, the staff were very friendly. The location was close to the Colosseum, Forum, and Trevi Fountain, and the subway station for the Vatican was nearby. My room was clean and the air conditioning worked great. The rooftop seating area was cozy. We ate lunch there and also sat up late with a bottle of wine. Breakfast was served every morning, but we only made it once because we slept in on the other days. It was a bar setup with fresh fruit, sandwiches, croissants, coffee, cereal, and other small bites.

The location was great, but the rooms were tiny and badly maintained. I'm slim and could barely fit in the shower. Breakfast was a joke, the service was poor, and there was no Wi-Fi. Street noise was really loud at night.

The location and price might make this an option for a quick visit to Roma, but I'd stay one night at most, depending on what you're willing to put up with. My brother and I stayed a night and that was enough. The staff were friendly and accommodating. They gave us a map with recommendations when we arrived, kept our luggage securely after check-out so we could come and go to drop things off, and arranged a taxi for the time we requested. The rooms had air conditioning and there was an elevator. We were in one of the apartment units across the street. Mold covered the bathroom, including the toilet, tile cracks, and shower. There was no hot water, and the shower head only dribbled, which made showering very difficult. When we reported it, staff thanked us and said they'd look into it, but didn't apologize or offer anything for the freezing showers and lack of pressure. Wi-Fi didn't work at all in our unit, and the main building seemed to have iPhone connection problems too. If you can find somewhere nearby for a similar price with better reviews, I'd choose that.