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-   -   Holiday Inn Rome EUR Parco Dei Medici (Master Thread) (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/intercontinental-hotels-ihg-one-rewards-intercontinental-ambassador/1336566-holiday-inn-rome-eur-parco-dei-medici-master-thread.html)

Happy Mar 10, 2010 11:38 pm

Holiday Inn Rome EUR Parco Dei Medici (Master Thread)
 
I did a search but could not turn up much information.

We need a 3 nights stay in Rome after a transatlantic cruise before flying to Athens for Greek Island hopping.

This HI property located halfway between FCO and Rome.

Been in Rome a few times before, the last time being Oct 2008. No need for tourist things, but really want to visit Vatican Museum in depth. So the location of this HI not being in city center is not an issue as long as the train / subway station is nearby. Unfortunately the instructions given on IHG website is utterly unclear. Reading TripAdvisor reviews have not help much either.

Anybody has stayed in this property and be able to provide transportation information?

Hannibal Lecter Mar 11, 2010 12:39 am


Originally Posted by Happy (Post 13553870)
I did a search but could not turn up much information.

We need a 3 nights stay in Rome after a transatlantic cruise before flying to Athens for Greek Island hopping.

This HI property located halfway between FCO and Rome.

Been in Rome a few times before, the last time being Oct 2008. No need for tourist things, but really want to visit Vatican Museum in depth. So the location of this HI not being in city center is not an issue as long as the train / subway station is nearby. Unfortunately the instructions given on IHG website is utterly unclear. Reading TripAdvisor reviews have not help much either.

Anybody has stayed in this property and be able to provide transportation information?

what is unclear about this?


The hotel is located at 15 km from Termini station and at 12 km from Fiumicino Airport. A free shuttle bus is available to al guests at fixed times and on first come basis, to/from the city centre and fco airport. Times: Hotel-Apt: 7.00/7.45/8.30/10.30/14.30/17.15/19.00/20.30 Apt-Hotel: 7.15/8.00/9.00/10.45/14.45/17.30/19.15/21.00. Hotel-City: 9.30/11.45/16.00/19.30. City-Hotel: 10.00/12.15/16.30/20.00
FROM TERMINI STATION TO THE HOTEL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Underground B line Laurentina direction, stop Eur Magliana or Eur Fermi and 771 bus which stops outside the hotel - Underground B line from Termini to Piramide Station, Direct train FM1, Fiumicino direction,from Ostiense to Muratella station. -Taxi from the station to the hotel: distance 15 Km, € 25/30 approx. BY CAR - From the ring road (GRA), exit n. 30, Roma EUR - Magliana direction, carry on for 2 Km, pass the Q8 service station and follow the indications to Parco dei Medici. FROM FIUMICINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO THE HOTEL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Free shuttle bus service at fixed times (limited places) - Train FM1 Fara Sabina direction, get off at the Muratella station, 500 meters to the hotel - Taxi from the Airport to the Hotel: distance 12 Km € 25.00/30.00 approx BY CAR -Take Fiumicino highway, exit Magliana Vecchia - Parco dei Medici after 12 km

Happy Mar 11, 2010 10:20 am

Per Tripadvisor reviews, the shuttle is not always workable due to it being a small van with limited capacity. People had some bad experiences not able to get on the shuttle, especially from town to hotel at the evening runs (last one at 8pm if I understand it correctly.)

Subway requires a connection with bus, and the journey takes almost 2 hours per some reviews. Hotel does not mention the connection requirement, nor the time it would take. It is only upon screening 3 pages of TripAdvisor reviews that one realizes the Underground requires connection to a bus. No mention of such at all based on the instruction.

Train information is what I need. Per website information, there is a train station within walking distance - however, it is not clear to me whether this FM1 train goes to Termini, or this train only runs between Ostiense and Muratella station

If you can figure out the Train information, I am all ears to hear from you!

PS:

I emailed the hotel about how to get to the hotel from Port of Civitavecchia by train. Have not heard a word from them. Fits right into the reviewers universal complain - very poor guest services.

sdsearch Mar 12, 2010 10:18 am


Originally Posted by Happy (Post 13553870)
Been in Rome a few times before, the last time being Oct 2008. No need for tourist things, but really want to visit Vatican Museum in depth. So the location of this HI not being in city center is not an issue as long as the train / subway station is nearby. Unfortunately the instructions given on IHG website is utterly unclear.

Oh, it's pretty clear to me. Forget the Transportation-specific portions of their web page, and look at the introductory page, and read between the lines:

"A stones throw away from the Eur District, next to the Grande Raccordo Anulare, exit Eur Magliana, and close to the new Rome’s exibition centre, the hotel is within easy reach of Fiumicino International Apt and city centre to which is directly connected by a free scheduled shuttle service.All the wonders of Rome are only a few minutes away."

Decoding: They mix driving instructions and how close everything is in the same sentence! So they really mean it's only close if you're driving! Then they say it's connected by the shuttle service, and never saying anything else about any other way of geting around. This is a big clue that that's all there is!

Compare to the Express Rome - San Giovani, which in their introductory page says: " Express by Holiday Inn Rome - San Giovanni! is located in a very convenient position, with railway station 'Rome Tuscolana' within 300 metres serving International Fiumicino Airport, subway stop 'Pontelungo' within 500 meters and bus stop n. 85 just a stone throw away the hotel to quickly and easily reach downtown area."

Decoding: I have to do research on hoow often and what hours the subway and train run, and where they go, but I can see they're walkable, so no need to rely on an iffy shuttle! (And there's even a bus option, but if you don't already know the Rome bus system, that could take longer to figure out than using the subway.)

The only other thing I've found that works for me on Priority Club's website, besides the introducory text, is not the Transportation page, but the What's Nearby page, then using the Business & Attraction FInder at the bottom and choosing "Subways & Train Stations" and
clicking Find. In most European cities that map shows subway and train stations graphically, and you can zoom in to see how walkable it looks (for example, on that map for this hotel, you see that as the crow flies, subway stop 'Villini' might also seem close, but there's something in the way between the hotel and there and so you have to detour a lot to get there so the walking distance would be way further than to 'Ponte Lungo'.

Hannibal Lecter Mar 12, 2010 11:54 am


Originally Posted by Happy (Post 13556276)
[B][B]Subway requires a connection with bus, and the journey takes almost 2 hours per some reviews. Hotel does not mention the connection requirement,es.

yes they do
Underground B line Laurentina direction, stop Eur Magliana or Eur Fermi and 771 bus which stops outside the hotel

Here's a all the train info you need for Rome, including a map, Muratella is on the FS line to get to Termini you have to change at Trastevere.
I have travelled from Fiumicino using that train, it takes quite a while...

http://www.romeguide.it/FILES/tras_in.htm

this clearly shows how far away the stations are

Train
-Station Name: Muratella - line FM1
-Distance: 0.5 KM / 0.31 MI North East to Hotel
-Taxi Fee From Train Station: 5,00 € (EUR)
-Go out of the station following the exit "Via A.Testoni", then turn left and go straight till the end of the road. Turn right, walk for 200 m. and take the first left. You will see the Hotel in front of you.

Subway Station Name: Eur - Magliana (subway)
Distance: 6 KM / 3.73 MI East to Hotel
Taxi Fee From Subway Station: 15,00 € (EUR)

here's the exact bus/metro info
http://infopoint.atac.roma.it/naviga...3b6&bwreturn=1


I've stayed at HIX Rome east a couple of times, 10min shuttle ride from the metro station or you can get there by public bus which stops at the metro station.
There was a very good inexpensive restaurant a 10min walk from the hotel, which served the best Tiramiu I've ever eaten

keihin_242 Apr 16, 2012 1:26 pm

Holiday Inn Rome - EUR Parco Dei Medici
 
Good: Relatively good prices for Rome, updated rooms are comfortable, location near Trenitalia station on the FR1 line to FCO (Muratella), shuttle available to FCO & central Rome

Bad: Old hotel being slowly updated, mediocre restaurant, limited dining options outside the hotel, 15-30 minutes on the train + transfers to city center, hotel attracts tour groups, not your best choice for early morning/late night FCO flights

Overall: A good ICHG option for Rome - if you don't mind staying outside the city center

Reception: Staff was friendly at check-in and seemed to be working through guests quickly and efficiently. "Upgrade" was to a renovated room. No other Plat benefits to be had. The reception staff has a variety of language skills, English included, although a few employees only speak Italian.

Rooms: I'm not sure how many of the rooms have been renovated, but they are a major improvement over the mid-80s style older rooms. Mine was a two queen bedroom that was attractive and comfortable, much more so than the old rooms I stayed in twice before. The room was a little warm and the only climate control option was the heater (which did not have a fan-only mode), so I had to open the windows. The windows slide open and open wiiiide, so of course there are justified warnings about watching your kids. The views from the upper floors of the hills of Lazio are nice.

Beds were firm but not uncomfortable. Plenty of pillows on the beds. TV was large flatscreen (32"?) with 4 English news channels available along with the usual variety of Italian and other European channels (didn't watch much TV here). There was a minibar, but I didn't look inside. During my past stays, these minibars have had extra space for your own provisions.

Bathrooms: Modern furnishings, though the water pressure in my room (6F) was a little weak. All soap and shampoo was in unwieldy screw-top bottles; no wall-mounted soap dispensers as many Italian hotels have. I ended up unwrapping the small bar of soap provided for the bidet and used it for hand washing. Many renovated hotels still have a lot of evidence of the room's age in the bathroom (old doorframe, tub, etc.) but not this one - they did a good job. Despite the fact that I listed 3 guests on my reservation, we had to ask for another set of towels for our third guest, which were delivered quickly.

Amenities: Outdoor pool, gym with sauna. 6F had a shoe polisher near the elevator lobby that was just what my shoes needed after a day of hiking around downtown.

Internet: Didn't use in-room, hotel webpage says 7 EUR/day. Business center is .35 EUR/min, not a bargain, but not bad if you want to spend a couple of minutes checking email or printing boarding passes.

Restaurants/Bar: Have never eaten lunch or dinner here but have eaten at the breakfast buffet twice. You can certainly fill your stomach, but the quality is spotty. When I stayed here last year, the scrambled eggs had pieces of shell in them and I notified the restaurant staff. This time the fruit juice was heavily watered down and I notified the restaurant manager.

Otherwise, the coffee, bread, and pastries are good. The fruit varies in quality from good to tasteless. Hot food is limited to sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs (which did not have shell pieces this time). Restaurant staff isn't particularly friendly, but if you speak Italian things improve. I was able to get breakfast included in my rate for 7 EUR above the Best Flexible rate.

The restaurant lunch/dinner menu is slightly expensive but not outrageously so for a hotel restaurant. Be careful at the bar. While I haven't used the bar recently, they have charged me for both gin and tonic (for a total of 14EUR) when ordering a G&T in the past. If you order something not listed on the menu, ensure you know what you will be charged before ordering.

Summary: A decent hotel with generally reasonable prices that is becoming more competitive with its renovation. Notably, I have found that when central Rome is packed to the gills with tourists or pilgrims, this hotel usually still has rooms at a decent price. For example, I stayed here the night before Pope John Paul II's beatification. The hotel wasn't all that crowded and the rate was 99 EUR.

Lots of tour groups and flight crews here. Some groups are made up of high school kids - I verified that my floor didn't have any groups assigned to it before accepting the room. This is apparently also a popular place for weddings, which cause the restaurant staff to start breaking down the breakfast buffet as early as they can.

There is a nearby restaurant/pizzeria, Verde Smeraldo, that I had been meaning to try during past stays and finally did. Not too good. The pizza was tough and 7 EUR for a pizza margherita is a price I would expect at a tourist dive in the city center, not way out in Parco Dei Medici. That's really the only option outside of the hotel restaurant, which I may break down and try next time. You're better off eating downtown before returning to the hotel.

Parco Dei Medici is a fairly quiet business park and there isn't too much loud traffic at night, although Verde Smeraldo doubles as a club (it has a pool) and is probably very loud on summer evenings, though at least then you can close the windows in favor of the A/C.

If you have lots of heavy baggage, especially if you are arriving in Rome at Termini Station, this may not be the best hotel for you because you'll have to transfer at least once to get here and probably will need to negotiate a lot of stairs. From FCO (to Rome), it's not too bad, but Muratella does not have elevators; you'll need to use the underpass when arriving. The track to FCO is only up a short flight of stairs. Be advised the FR1 can become very crowded at times (especially weekday mornings).

If you drive, parking is FREE. It may be possible to drive here and use the hotel as airport parking in connection with a stay - I've never asked, but I think the hotel would be willing to permit it. I don't know how secure the parking lot is, though I did park here once overnight with no issues.

While this Holiday Inn is an old fortress of a hotel, its location, price, and renovated rooms make it a decent option in the Rome area. It has improved slightly every time I've stayed here, and I would do so again.


Access: Take the Trenitalia FR1 commuter line to Muratella station (same line as trains to FCO), then use the exit facing the Parco dei Medici business park and walk to the left until the break in the fence on the right; walk up the street and you'll see the hotel - about a 7-10 minute walk. From FCO, ensure you board a regionale (FR1) train, not the Leonardo Express. If you arrive at Tiburtina station, you can take the FR1 directly to Muratella. Most people arriving at Roma Termini will find taking the Metro Linea B to Piramide and then FR1 from the adjacent Ostiense station to be the simplest way.

Easy access via car from the GRA (Rome ring road) via a short drive on the A91.

Hotel has a shuttle for 3.50 EUR each way to FCO and Santa Maria in Cosmedin (Mouth of Truth/Bocca della Verita) in the city center. There are several hourly departures in the morning beginning at 0700, but they are much less frequent after 1100. If you're going to the city center, taking the train is a better value if you plan to use one-day or three-day ATAC public transport passes.

When going downtown from Muratella, note the FR1 does not go to Termini but to Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana, and Tiburtina in that order from Muratella. Use Ostiense to Linea B at Piramide for the Colosseo, San Giovanni Laterano, and Termini Station. For San Pietro & the Vaticano, transfer at Trastevere to a FR3 or FR5 train to San Pietro station where you can either walk to the Vatican or hop on bus 64 for three stops. If you need to go to Termini, you'll need to transfer at Trastevere or Ostiense. Train tickets are available at the hotel gift shop, including tickets to FCO.

FCO Access: The shuttle, if it fits your schedule, isn't a bad option for FCO, as a Trenitalia ticket to the airport is 8 EUR and taxis to FCO are expensive.

0530 is the first Trenitalia FR1 departure from Muratella to FCO, which is scheduled to arrive at 0549. This can be tricky for people with early morning departures to the US, especially if leaving from Terminal 5 (extra 15-45 minutes walking to and waiting for the T5 shuttle).

nicolas75 Mar 18, 2023 5:18 am

Review of my stay in March 2023
 
What is your IHG One Rewards status?
Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked on points and received one Queen Bed Premium with stocked minibar

How are the rooms?
Around 29 sqm

Seating area
Table

Comfortable bed

Desk
Usb sockets next to bed (strangely only on the left side of the bed; stupidly when bed lamp is off, usb socket is also off).

Kettle.
Tiny closet
Television with very good selection of international channels.
No chromecast.

Bathroom with bathtub
Soak toiletries.

Very quiet.
Large window. View over the entrance parking.


Perfectly clean and well maintained.Dated design, still.
Efficient heating system.

No free PressReader.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A.

What was good and what was bad?
GOOD
  • Smiling staff.
  • Convenient as an airport hotel, even if the airport is 16km far from the airport. But the hotel has a shuttle to/from the airport, and is located 5 minutes walk from Muratella train station. Still, for late night flights, taxi is required (around EUR 38).
  • EUR 10 shuttle to Piramide station (only EUR 1 by train).
  • Pleasant and quiet garden and pool area
  • Very good breakfast

BAD
Nothing

Value for $ or IHG One Rewards Points? Would you return?
Yes.
Nothing fancy, but does perfectly the job for a late night flight arrival, before heading to central Rome.


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Exterior
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Lobby
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Access to the rooms
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Queen Bed Premium with stocked minibar
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Free minibar
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Bathroom
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Closet
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Pool area and garden
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Breakfast
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Shuttle timetable


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