Totally agree - these US chain hotels are just so boring, especially in a city like Rome. There are several boutiquey places and there's also the charismatic Hassler. I was in Rome last month and while I didn't stay at the Relais & Chateaux property Palazzo Manfredi I did look at a couple of rooms which were spectacular and I did have a meal at their Aroma restaurant - brilliant food and a showstopping view of the Flavian Amphitheatre, as we call it in the trade.