There has been a lot of discussion regarding the situation at the Cavalieri.

We stay there 2-3 times each year for 5-10 days per stay so feel pretty familiar with the property (most recently this month). I do not have time for a long review, but can address some issues that have come-up here recently.

Value of Imperial Floor Upgrade:
First, Diamonds used to be regularly upgraded to an Imperial Floor room... but this seems to have become extremely rare... even when the hotel is quite empty. If the Imperial Lounge was a shadow of its old self, then paying the up-charge would be a no-brainer. Currently, its sort of a toss-up and I am not certain whether we will bother with the upgrade when visiting in January. The food in the Imperial Lounge has declined dramatically and is really not worth eating. Also, the drink options are diminished. Staff attentiveness is mixed. On each shift there seems to be one person who might be helpful. Most of the lounge staff struggle to avoid eye contact lest they be asked to do something. The view remains as remarkable as ever and the porch (in good weather) is a wonderful place to have coffee or answer email. A nice feature of the Imperial floors is the "ironing room" near the Imperial Lounge (not sure if there are ironing rooms on the other floors). The rooms on the Imperial floor have nicer toiletries, etc than the rooms on the other floors. If you stay on the Imperial floors avoid room 842 which is next door to a very large house keeping facility with an automatic door that slides open every time someone walks past in the hallway. Each time it opens, the door shakes room 842. We spent one night in this room and changed rooms the next day. Desk staff insisted that the sliding door was not a problem but did (rather cooly) move us to another room. Also the wireless internet does not work in room 842 (or at least did not during our stay).

Internet:
Gold and Diamond receive free wireless... this did not used to be the case at the Cavalieri ... it is normally very expensive (something like $27 Euro per day).

Breakfast:
Breakfast has also declined over the years, but is still terrific. I would only avail myself of it for free. Very expensive otherwise. Again the breakfast staff seem to have attended the same training as the lounge staff which permits them to avoid all eye contact with customers and breeze right by. If one is able to flag one down... they were unfailing polite.

Location:
Ok, this is a topic where reasonable people might disagree. But I LOVE the location. Quiet is rare in Rome ...or most big cities... and the Cavalieri is quiet (the design of the rooms help on this issue also). The Shuttle makes frequent runs to town (except Sunday) and Taxis are cheap (be sure the meter is set to zone #1 within the central city, including Cavalieri). On this last trip, our Shuttle driver was rude and obviously disdainful of the passengers.

City View Rooms:
If one is staying on the Imperial Floor ... I see little reason to pay extra for the city view as the lounge has the best view of all. If not staying on an Imperial Floor, the city view is often obstructed by trees unless the room is on 5th or 6th floor.

Colosseum Lounge:
This is a miserable space. Bright white and overly lit. Food and drink are even more limited than in the Imperial Lounge. Skip it. Bad even for free.

Overall:
We still like the Cavalieri. Concierge desk still very helpful. Fitness facility unusually good (especially for Rome). The artwork on display is remarkable, the best I have ever seen in a hotel. The grounds and solitude are unsurpassed in Rome. However, perhaps there has been a change in management as there has been a substantial decline in the lounges and in the attitude of the desk staff. Also, previous Diamonds received various perks like newspaper, gift, sparking wine upon arrival, etc. This month we received none of these. We did water in the room each day and this was greatly appreciated. Free internet is a real plus. One gets the impression that the Cavalieri gets overwhelmed with folks staying on "points" and does not treat them as well as in the past.