Hotel Twenty One

The rooms tended to get too hot, and we had to figure out how to adjust the thermostat. The gym just outside the main entrance had what we needed, and the Wi-Fi worked well enough for people in our group to log in and work from their rooms. Many rooms also had lovely views of Rome. Service was polite and professional, and the staff went out of their way to make our stay easy. We were traveling as an American group, and many employees understood and spoke English, which helped with our requests. Daily room service did a great job. Food service was top tier: the breakfast buffet covered everything from bakery treats to comfort food, with vegetarian and gluten-free choices, and the cafe bar made excellent morning espresso. It's a great contemporary hotel, with modern amenities and a handy location near local spots and the subway. I'd highly recommend it for a future Rome stay.

The accessible setup made this a really comfortable stay for me. I use a wheelchair, and the hotel had elevators and step-free access throughout. Our adapted room was spacious enough to turn around easily. The bathroom was especially well designed, with grab bars, a shower chair, a wide sink for my toiletries, a tilted mirror, toiletries provided, and an amazing heated towel rack. We were there at the end of February, and the air conditioning also had a heating function. The room stayed warm, was clean, and housekeeping came daily. The restaurant has a beautiful city view, including the dome of the Vatican, plus a terrace. Breakfast was included. The selection wasn't huge, but there was a good mix of fruit, eggs, cheeses, and cold cuts, so you won't go hungry. Lunch or dinner there is also possible for an extra fee. Staff were friendly and ready to help. We could walk to all the historical sights because they're fairly close. The Vatican was about a 10-15 minute slow walk, and there's a bus stop 5-10 minutes away, though I didn't use it. Restaurants are nearby too. With the window open, we heard some street noise one evening; once it was shut, we couldn't hear the street or neighbors at all. The only things I had to think about were the city's cobblestones and peak-hour crowds. I came home with very positive feelings and highly recommend the hotel.

Service was very good, and the hotel was quiet, with fairly clean rooms. Breakfast was decent and offered a good range of choices. My room looked onto an internal courtyard and had no view at all. That should have been made clear beforehand, or reflected in a lower price.

The location was the best part: about five minutes on foot from Lepanto metro, and around 15 minutes from both the Vatican and Piazza del Popolo. It's a really central spot. Reception staff were always friendly and happy to help, though the breakfast staff upstairs were rude. We booked through Booking.com, which listed it as four stars, but it felt more like three. Our room was tiny and stayed hot, even with the lights on it seemed dark. We couldn't work out the heat, so left the window open most of the time. The wardrobe door hit the latch on the room door and couldn't open properly. The bathroom would randomly smell strongly of cigarette smoke, though it wasn't coming from us. The mattress was thin and hard, and the pillows very basic.