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Old Dec 17, 2019 | 8:24 am
  #12  
JTCz
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: LeClubAccorhotels Platinum, M&M FTL
Posts: 578
Ubicazione, ubicazione, ubicazione

Location The number one good point about the hotel is it's location - the word "ubicazione" means location in Italian (and toilet in my language, but that's not very pertinent here). In general, as Italian as especially, Roman hotels go, this is a solid choice and its premium price is justified for it being walking distance to all major sights on the right bank of the Tiber river, and almost on the doorstep of the metro which can take you further afield (e.g. Vatican).There is a COOP supermarket, a pharmacy and a slew of other shops open until late and on Sundays on the same street at the hotel (which is busy but did not disturb my sleep). Service The staff I interacted with did their best to be friendly, helpful and professional, although their command of English sometimes got in the way when nuances where key, especially with some of the female front desk staffers.One of the front desk staffers showed us to our room and did a quick tour, which was not entirely necessary (there is very little out of the ordinary about the room), but was a pleasant gesture and allowed us to ask questions and for the staff to make sure we were comfortable with the room and everything else.A male manager at the front desk one evening saved the day when housekeeping threw away everything they found on the desk, including my drinks voucher. A new one was issued immediately with a proper apology and promise to discuss the event with housekeeping.One negative exception was the breakfast room manager, who came across as stuffy and grumpy.Still, by Italian standards (not by global 5-star standards or MGallery standards) it was a very positive experience - I did not hear a "no" outside of the breakfast room, nobody tried to rip me off, I felt safe, secure and taken care of. Dining Another highlight is the rooftop bar and restaurant, which affords you some really nice views to start or end the day with. The terrace is getting a temporary canopy for the winter, which does not entirely protect it from rain or cold, and the seats in the small fully-roofed section are not quite cozy or luxurious.Coffee was only available from the staff (served from a jug or delivered from a professional barista espresso machine if guests asked for an espresso, cappucino or anything else but just coffee), I ended up getting it from their service jug myself as they could hardly keep up.I cannot see why a jug of coffee could not be served to every table when seated as in most upscale hotels. I would not mind using an automated espresso machine as well - there was one in the back of the room, but staff actively discouraged me from using it.The breakfast spread is rather disappointing, including artificial scrambled eggs and pretend bacon and sausages, whose taste boils down to being salty. You are basically expected to fill up on a few sweet items and leave promptly. This is, again, unfortunately a standard at Italian hotels - the country is known for great food, but somehow hotels universally provide awful breakfasts. This may also be due to the fact that Italians rarely eat sumptuous breakfasts with hot items at home.We ended up not using the drinks voucher (despite it having been reissued - see above) and eating out save for breakfasts. LCAH / ALL recognition I would say recogniton of my status (Platinum) and benefits were proper, starting with being upgraded from the lowest room category to a top-level junior suite with sweeping vistas, early check-in and room availability without a wink, very late check-out (6 PM!) on request, an elegant welcome gift (including fresh forest fruit in December) delivered by room service in the evening and, of course, a drinks voucher (see above for details). Hard product The design is, as almost all Italian hotels, very much style over substance, which results in it being out of fashion almost the moment it was open, premature wear and tear and some questionable choices (e.g. corridors belonging more in a prison than luxury hotels, thanks to the designers infatuation with industrial ABS flooring).My 8th floor room, situated on the highest available floor, which is probably marketed as a "junior suite" or "deluxe room", had full-width, almost floor-to-ceiling windows (only available on the 8th floor). It was airy, spacious and provided the "Roman vacation" feel thanks to the views. The Via Nazionale is a noisy street, but I slept well in the large, comfortable bed.Bathroom had a bath / shower, which I found comfortable to use, and of course a bidet. I liked the fragrance used in the gaudy-coloured toiletries. For whatever reason, the hotel had branded everything, including the plastic waste bin in the bathroom. That was quite an overkill, I'd rather they redecorated and carpeted the corridors.My room fortunately did not feature all of the redness the rooms in promo photos have, with bathroom tiling and bedding featuring more neutral colours. The uncarpeted yellow ABS floor was anything but luxurious though, and whatever footwear one wore (or same with walking barefoot), it made squaky noises (so no quiet sneaking to the bathroom at night).There are doormen (both very friendly and with immaculate English), but there is no turndown service provided (not that I care for it). Overall Otherwise, the more I reminisce about my stay, the more I am happy with the experience. There was little "memorable moment" charme about it, but all the comforts were there and the location proved just as good as it looked on the map. The little extra the hotel charges over the Mercures in Rome is paid back in time and expense saved while getting around.
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