Rome Hotel Guide
Rome Accommodations
1. W Rome
Established in December 2021, the 162-room W Rome is a masterpiece located in the center of the eternal city. Spanning two adjacent 19th century palazzos, the W features a gorgeous facade in keeping with Italian history but with bold, updated interiors. This is a quintessential W property, promising a luxury, fun, high-class experience for guests.
Room:
We stayed in a studio suite during our four-night visit. Our suite was on the first floor, but thankfully it was far from the lounge where DJs cranked out amazing sets nightly. (More on that in a minute.) The W Rome’s tastefully decorated suites live up to the high Marriott standard I’ve come to expect, especially when it comes to the ultra-comfortable beds (with fresh white linens and six fluffy pillows). Our bed featured a curved leather headboard with a lamp, reading light, USB port, and European outlet on each side.
The studio suites also make you feel at home with large, well-equipped wet bars and munchies (including full-size liquor bottles, mixers, and a variety of other drinks) and a long desk for tending to remote work or catching clutter.
The bathroom area is a separate part of the suite, completely hidden from the main room. This separation is a welcome touch for those families or couples that are preparing for the day’s events at different times, or using the toilet in the middle of the night. A double sink and mirrored vanity has ample room for all your toiletries. Each room at the W Rome comes equipped with a coveted Dyson Airwrap. (I didn’t realize I’d have a horse in the hair dryer race, but after trying it for the first time in Rome, here’s my honest, unaffiliated take on the Airwrap: it’s nice.) Directly across from the sinks is a small bench to sit on while dressing or putting on shoes.
The water closet and shower are both in their own private rooms just off the vanity area. The water closet houses a toilet with a bidet and also has enough space to change if you want extra privacy. The huge shower doubles as a deep tub that can easily fit two people with chest-high water. Beautiful red, gold, and white marble flooring flows throughout the room and continues up the walls of the shower. Classic chrome hardware, waterfall showerhead, and hand-wand all contribute to the luxurious feel.
After exploring Rome all day, it was such a wonderful treat to come back to our decadent accommodations.
Gym:
The gym is on the bottom floor, or -1 for all you Europeans. As you enter, there is a large shelf full of towels, headphones for personal use, bottles of water, hand sanitizer, and wipes. The really cool thing about this gym is that it feels like an underground grotto. The walls are stucco but are all decorated to resemble a cave or ancient Roman bath. Curved corridors and interlocking rooms present a fun setting for getting your sweat on. A very large space that could easily fit around 20-25 people working out simultaneously, there was never any issue with using any equipment I needed, and was all State-of-the-art Technogym treadmills, bikes, weights, and machines.
Lounges:
On the top of the world (ok, just the top of the W) is the Otto Rooftop Bar. On one side is the pool with a wet deck and on the other is the lounge with tables for enjoying lunch or dinner. During our first night there, we had dinner on the rooftop and enjoyed spectacular views of the entire west side of Rome. There was some weather coming in, so we had breathtaking colors, gorgeous clouds, and a breeze to keep us cool. Pizza and an Aperol Spritz completed this amazing first evening. The Otto hosts plenty of events weekly as well. During our visit, there was a party with live DJs performing. As a hotel guest, you get free access to any events the W hosts. Such a great perk.
On the main floor is the W Lounge, where signature cocktails are served by top-notch mixologists. Additionally, the lounge boasts a nice wine selection and top-shelf spirit offerings, so come enjoy a mid-day cocktail and snacks, or come in the evening for live music and great times. The W brand around the world is known for having events and live music, and the W Rome did not disappoint. Visiting at the same time was Issac Hinden-Miller, a New Zealand DJ based in NYC, who performed an awesome set that we jammed out to. He was in town filming some promotional material and was gracious enough to chat with us and take some pictures. You never know who you’ll run into at one of the world’s best luxury brands.
In all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the W Rome. Fantastic accommodations, amazing amenities, glamorous parties, and outstanding customer service made our time there one to remember.
2. St. Regis Rome
During our second visit to Rome, we spent two nights at the St. Regis Rome. Because of my membership in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program, I was able to trade in 200K points for our stay. (Points awarded can vary, but the amount I used to book our stay here can typically be accrued after staying at Marriott properties for 30-40 nights.) Rooms were going for $6700 per night during that time frame, so this was an outstanding deal. Another reason I am and always will be a huge fan of their rewards program.
The St. Regis is the epitome of world-class luxury. After the King of Italy stayed at the Ritz flagship hotel in London, he enlisted the help of famed hotelier Cesar Ritz to build one of its caliber in Rome. The hotel, then called Le Grand Hotel, celebrated its inaugural weekend in January 1894 with a star-studded guest list that included dignitaries like Pope Leo XIII, King Humberto I, and Wilhelm II of Italy.
On January 11, 2000, the hotel was renamed the St. Regis Grand. The property recently underwent a meticulous $45 million renovation with no expense spared. The renovation succeeded in maintaining the structure’s historic, Old World charm while enhancing it with modern design and features. Each of the hotel’s 161 rooms and suites plus shared spaces went through a transformation, bringing its glamour to a new level. Even with all the renovations, they kept the original elevator which is the 13th one in all of Italy. It still operates and was a fun bit of history to travel in.
The sleek polished lobby area reminds me of something I would see in a movie from the early 1900s with women in ball gowns, men in tails, champagne flowing freely, a 15-foot Murano chandelier, and a live orchestra entertaining the city’s elite. Travertine and bronze accents throughout showcase Rome’s rich artisanal history.
Past the lobby and lounge area is a grand ballroom with beautiful frescos on the ceilings, floor-to-ceiling mirrors paneling each wall, two massive crystal chandeliers cascading downward in the center of the room, and meticulously carved woodwork painted in gold.
I couldn’t wait to see what our room held in store.
Room:
We were fortunate to be able to stay here when we did, as they ended up being completely booked. The President of the Ivory Coast and his entourage were in town to meet with the Pope. Sylvester Stallone was also a guest, but we didn’t manage to see either one. We were given a standard room, which was still a wonderful accommodation.The room’s large entryway has a lot of space for storing luggage without blocking the door (or making it difficult to open it for your wife). The bathroom is just off the entry, in between two closets. The small refrigerator is stocked with just a few items, such as bottled water, small spirits, and a couple of bottles of beer. No snacks or food items were placed in the room for our stay, but a coffee machine and pods were on the desk.
The hotel’s queen-sized beds are very comfortable. The linens are very high quality and extremely soft. Each room features yet another chandelier hanging above the bed. Our bathroom came equipped with a double sink and stylish chrome fixtures. The shower/tub combo is a little on the smaller side, but it comes with a rainfall shower head and a detachable hand wand which helps. Towels come draped opposite the shower head on a heated towel rack which is fantastic after turning the warm water off. The water closet is in a separate and private room with a bidet sitting opposite the toilet.
Even with a “standard” room, the glamorous surroundings and luxurious atmosphere made us feel like royalty.
Lounge:
The Lumen and Lumen Garden are the hotel’s lounge and restaurant. In the main lobby area sits the Lumen, a lounge and dining area serving delicious food and cocktails. With two executive chefs on site, the refined menu offers items such as seabass carpaccio with julienne of mint braised artichokes and bread crumble and leek velouté, Tagliolini with saffron, baby squid and asparagus, and Beef filet with green pepper sauce, eggplant puree and yellow cherry tomatoes. The Lumen Garden is an outdoor area that is a living garden. The walls are draped in lush greenery and beautiful flowers, and hanging plants line the path to your table. This is the closest thing to the hanging gardens of Babylon in my mind. Grab a seat, order a drink, and sit back and relax with your company.If you want to indulge in one of the world’s most famous and glamorous hotels, you must visit the St. Regis when you come to Rome.