Residence Maximus

The rooms are small, but they were clean and comfortable, and the price seemed reasonable compared with many other Rome hotels. I booked through Booking.com and was surprised by the Google Maps rating, since I had a positive experience. The location was great, especially for anyone wanting to be near the Colosseum, and I was happy with my stay.

My wife and I were left outside in the cold from midnight until 2 a.m. My flight had arrived at 11 p.m., and I’d taken a taxi straight to the hotel. I’d picked it for its central location near the Colosseum and paid extra for that. But no one answered the Booking.com phone numbers, and there was no reception, just a door and doorbell. The reservation process never clearly said check-in wasn’t available after 6 p.m. We had to find another hotel in the middle of the night, paying an extra €180 for one night. When we contacted Booking the next morning, they said the hours were in the confirmation email, but they aren’t clearly highlighted during booking. Booking.com didn’t offer real help with the issue. The whole thing cost us financially and emotionally, and the place we ended up staying was far below expectations. I absolutely don’t recommend this place. Avoid it.

Be very careful. When we first got there, we were told it was too early to check in, so we left our luggage and went for a walk. At noon, they said our reservation had been cancelled because they hadn’t received payment. Then the person in charge said there weren’t many rooms available in Rome and that a nearby friend had a room. He said it would cost a bit more and asked us to pay him first, then go to his friend’s place. It felt like he was trying to charge us twice. We refused to pay again, so we were left without a room and had to rush to find somewhere else. While we were there, he did the same thing to two other couples. Scammers. Don’t book a room there.

Andrea was very cooperative and quick to respond, and gave my family a room overlooking the Colosseum. It was spacious and clean, with a kitchen. We stayed three nights, and I’ll definitely choose this place again.