Originally Posted by Peregrinus

It won't help your points-earning, but perhaps renting an apartment is a better and cheaper way to go. There are a number of great options for large and economical apartments both in the centre of Roma and elsewhere (sleepinitaly.com is one that I have been pleased with). Many of the foreign hotels are either extremely expensive (e.g., De La Ville Roma) or not particularly well located (Holiday Inn Hotel Aurelia, very inconvenient without a car). Good luck!