The Independent Hotel

The front desk woman in the morning was considerate and let us use a room in the main building to clean up. That room had water, thankfully. Our room was in an old side building, separate from the main one. It was small and part of a cluster of four or five rooms, almost like a five-bedroom apartment. The soundproofing was awful, and guests in the room next to us, or one of the other very close rooms, were yelling back and forth past 11:30 p.m. They started up again around 6 a.m. Then the city shut off water to “selective buildings” for road works at about 9:45 p.m., and it hadn’t come back by checkout around 9:30 the next morning. We had to sleep with the day’s sweat and dirt on us, and in the morning there wasn’t even water to flush the toilet. All in all, it was a nightmare of a hotel night, possibly the worst stay of my life.

If you’re looking for somewhere near Termini Station, I’d recommend this place. The Independent Hotel has a main building and an annex called the Independent "suites." They cost less than the main building, but I was satisfied with how clean the suites were inside. The reception staff were kind and smiled back when I smiled. I’d been worried by other reviews, but the bathroom was very clean, which was reassuring. Guests can get a welcome drink on the eighth floor of the main building, where the terrace view is amazing. The hotel is close to Termini Station. I’ve heard it isn’t the safest area, but with care, it’s easy to go out at night. For stays of several nights, sheets and towels are changed daily, and there’s a trash can. A practical hairdryer with good airflow is provided, too. A few small drawbacks: the elevator is usable, but two people and two suitcases fill it up; there are no slippers; and you have to unlock the door three times to reach your room. You can add breakfast for €15 per person even if you didn’t choose it when booking.

For our honeymoon, we never booked the Independent Suites. Our Agoda confirmation said Independent Deluxe Room, but staff suddenly sent us to the Independent Suites, in a different building from the Independent Hotel. The map and Agoda show them as separate hotels, but staff kept insisting right to the end that we’d booked the suites. Seeing many reviews from Koreans in the same situation made us wonder if we’d faced racism. The room had no soundproofing at all, was damp, and had cheap air fresheners. We spent hours arguing with Agoda, from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m., and by then we were exhausted. We asked to be shown the Deluxe Room at the Independent Hotel that we’d originally booked, but staff said we’d have to pay 120 euros on the spot. They never apologized and continued insisting we’d booked the other place. It completely ruined our honeymoon. I wouldn’t recommend either the Independent Hotel or the Independent Suites. They were the worst hotels in Rome for us, and we felt they treated us in a racist way. If you want to spend your honeymoon money and be treated that way, go ahead.

I eventually canceled my stay for other reasons. Before that, I’d paid extra for breakfast through Agoda, but the hotel replied to my confirmation email saying breakfast wasn’t included. I checked with Agoda and confirmed it was. I think I’d have been flustered if I’d only found out when I arrived. If you’ve booked the Annex, check with the hotel whether breakfast is included.