La Residenza Il Duca

The location is great, right in the middle of Rome. Our room was clean, breakfast at "I dolci di Nonna Vincenza" was very good, and the girl who served us was lovely. But there was no clear information about late check-in. They charge extra for arrivals after 20:00 h, up to 70 €, yet this fee isn’t listed in the Booking conditions, unlike at many other places in Rome without 24-hour reception. It also has to be paid in cash. Charging for late check-in is fine, but the amount should be disclosed from the start, not mentioned later by email. The worst part was that they framed the fee as if they were doing us a favor, with lines like "but we can, exceptionally for you, wait you after the reception closing time", "Many other bed and breakfast or guest house do not accept at all guest after reception closing time so we hope you appreciate our service", and "extra amount not for us but for the person who will wait for you". In other countries, for example Norway, Sweden, and Lithuania, we’ve even found "Key Safe Boxes" that allow 24-hour check-in. Because of this "trick" to "fish" more guests, when you can’t cancel after booking, we won’t return.

The breakfast was my favorite part. It’s served at a separate place called "nonna vincenza", which sells amazing homemade Sicilian sweets. For what you pay, you get coffee or tea, orange juice, a sweet of your choice, and a "cannolo". The location is really good for the price, easy to explore the city on foot, and feels safe at night. It isn’t perfect and definitely not a five-star hotel, but the room has all the comforts you need: air conditioning, a big shower, a comfortable bed, daily cleaning, towels, and gels. Two things bothered me: some of the workers weren’t especially kind and sometimes argued, and the check-in, check-out, and room cleaning times weren’t very convenient. Those are small issues, though, and I’d definitely come back to Rome.

I wouldn’t recommend staying here. The room was dingy and shabby, with scuffed walls and no view, and it barely looked like the photos on the site. We spent almost no time in the room except to sleep and shower. After we left, they charged us an extra £100 for a "plumber" who supposedly had to remove something from the sink. We’d turned on the tap about three times, just to brush our teeth. They didn’t contact us to explain the charge; we had to chase them for the information, and there was no evidence or explanation. It was an absolute scam. Don’t book this accommodation.

It felt more like renting a room than staying at a proper hotel. There was no front desk, and no place to get breakfast.