Residenza Bourbon

The staff made a real effort to welcome us. They were friendly, shared information about the city and suggested restaurants, most of which turned out to be great. I feel bad giving the stay such a low rating because a lot of the problems were outside their control. We booked through Splendia, a luxury hotels website, so I expected something more luxurious, especially in the facilities. I wouldn't stay here again. The biggest issue for sightseeing was the location. Rome's public transport isn't especially good, and the nearest Metro station was under maintenance while we were there. The room was noisy, on the first floor near a main road, and very small, with barely enough room for our bags. The bed and pillows were hard, and the shower was extremely cramped. Breakfast was basic, with no hot dishes, mostly desserts, plus a few cold cuts, cereal and yoghurts. Reception is staffed for about 12 hours, then there's nobody until the next day after 8. I believe you can reach someone in an emergency, but the limited hours surprised me. The hotel is also part of a building rather than in its own separate one, more like entering an apartment. That's common in Italian cities, but I can see how it might make the place harder to find. I made a mistake and booked for one person when we were actually two. Even though we'd been in touch beforehand and I'd said there would be two of us, I only found out the night before arrival. It cost an extra €10 per night. I understand the surcharge was my mistake, but the way it came up was disappointing. It didn't affect my rating, just left a sour anecdote. There was also a daily tax on top of the final price. It wasn't much and wasn't the hotel's fault, and I think it's common in Rome, but extra checkout charges are always annoying.

The staff were the one good part of the stay. The hotel is inside a residential building with no separate entrance, and the location is a major drawback, with all the attractions far away. The room was noisy, since you could hear people coming and going. The mattress was so hard it felt like sleeping on the floor, and the pillows were very thin. We stayed four days, but the shampoo and shower gel were never replaced. The shower was cramped too, hard to move around in. Breakfast choices were very limited, with nothing hot like eggs or bacon. Reception was supposed to be open from 9 am to 8 pm, but not always. I came by at 7:45 and nobody was there.

The room was comfortable, though the main bed was softer than the sofa bed. Breakfast service was good, but the food was very basic, with no eggs or hot options, and you had to walk 7-8 minutes back to the Residenza to get it. It's close to bus stops, though a bit removed from the attractions. The walk from the main railway station is a fair distance, so it's not ideal after a tiring journey. A friendly hostess, I think, waited for us and handed over the key at the actual location, an apartment about 7-8 minutes away.

The staff were wonderful and awfully sweet. The night attendant helped with our luggage when we arrived, and the receptionists were lovely about explaining the map and pointing out the main attractions. The owner was very nice too. If I were rating the people and service alone, this would get five stars. I feel a bit bad writing such a negative review, but our stay was rough. They need to improve the WiFi, showers, rooms, beds and decor, and make the rooms more comfortable. The location isn't great for tourists unless you need to be near Roma Termini. The subway is about a 10-minute walk, and the major sights are far off, so you'll be commuting everywhere. There's not much in the immediate area. The rooms are on the first floor with no elevator, though that wasn't too bad without heavy bags. Our room was tiny, smaller than a NYC hotel room, with just a bed and a little space around it. The mattress and pillows were uncomfortable. The photos on Google make the place look much newer, nicer and more chic than it is. There's no complimentary water on arrival, no Kleenex or moisturizing lotion in the bathroom, and no hot water or way to boil water or make coffee. WiFi barely worked during our stay. I couldn't even check email on my Mac in the room, and had to walk around to find a place to finish checking in for my flight. My US T-Mobile data worked better for email. After midnight the WiFi stopped working in the room altogether, so I went out to the lobby. The air-conditioning also worked poorly, so this isn't a good choice if you want a cool room on a hot day. The street facing our windows was noisy when they were open, as noisy as NYC, with garbage trucks beeping at night too. With the windows shut it was okay. There was no attendant after 8 pm if you needed anything. The bathroom lighting was very dim, which made doing makeup difficult. The shower was so tiny I can't imagine how a tall person could fit in it. Sheets weren't changed unless you asked. Breakfast won't suit you unless you love desserts. There were five kinds of cakes, pies and pastries, plus a limited choice of meats, cheese and yoghurts with fruit. The cakes and pies were the same for all three days we stayed. I was cautious about them because cream can spoil, and I personally don't recommend eating cream desserts that have been sitting out for 3-5 days.